When a hero comes along

I’ve often wondered what the definition of a good person is. As I’ve grown, that description has remained the same. It simply encompasses a person with compassion and a love for others. Not the kind that strive for attention or gratitude but the kind that do it because their heart is larger than anyone else’s. I like to think we have a few people that harness this trait. How do we know?

I’m so very thankful to say I have a beautiful daughter. I think we were a bit cautious in the beginning of young Evie’s life. Translation: we didn’t take her anywhere. That was until I heard of a benefit for our friend Kerry Heinz in Pittsboro, MS. We loaded up Evie and headed that way. So did hundreds of others. Many volunteered their time, money, donated food, supplied auction items and most important, support for Kerry. 

Kerry grew up in Bruce, MS, a small town 30-miles south of Oxford, MS in the northern part of the Magnolia State. Two children, Jeremy and Briana, both called her mom. Not long ago, Kerry received the diagnosis that we all fear. It was cancer. Like the champion she is, she smiled and went to war. So many of her friends went with her. She fought chemo, radiation and a litany of other drugs. Like many that have tackled this disease will tell you, the drugs take you to the brink of death.

During the times when she was weak, I would make my stops by her son Jeremy’s restaurant in Oxford. Each time, he’d look at me and say “She’s fighting and I love her for it.” We’d talk football and Ole Miss Athletics but that only masked the reason I was there. He knew I was there to lend moral support for his mother’s battle. We both did. I was there because his mother was my hero. She was his too. 

This past Saturday, Kerry Heinz passed away, leaving a mark on this earth I could never relay through a block of sentences together. Many times during her treatment, we shared messages. My father is a 19-year survivor of Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Many we’re difficult for me to type because I found that she was actually uplifting me. 

During this past Ole Miss Football season, Kerry was honored at halftime for being an advocate for breast cancer. Standing in the South end zone, I watched as she, along with her family was honored. I couldn’t have been more proud of a person for what they have given to this society we call home. 

While many that know their time on earth is up would call it a curse, Kerry simply used it to her advantage. Kissing the people she loved and encouraging her friends, Kerry Heinz answered the question of how we know who a good person is. 

Once again, alongside her family, Kerry smiled and went to what she called her heavenly home. One person said it best, “Fly away dear Kerry.” A very fitting tribute, as she had said on many occasions her favorite song was “His eye is on the sparrow.”

Kerry Heinz was my hero and I am a better person for knowing her. 

Rest easy. We’ll see you soon. I know this, she might be the best person.