Tom Says: “Sometimes little things mean a lot…”
I wish all of our listeners had a chance to read a letter in the Saint John Telegraph Journal on Wednesday, January 23rd. The letter is titled, “A Big Thank-You To The Saint John Sea Dogs.”
It is the story of an autistic 11 year old girl named Kathryn.
Most of us don’t know much about autism including yours truly. What I do know is that it is a spectrum disorder which means some autistic children grow up to become functioning adults, while others need security and twenty-four hour care for the rest of their life.
The story of Kathryn speaks to the importance of the members of the Saint John Sea Dogs in her life.
The writer, who identifies himself as Jamie Munroe, details what the individual members of this junior hockey team do to brighten the life of an eleven year old girl. It names names — and tells of little vignettes describing the little things the players do on and off the ice that brings a smile to a somewhat complicated life. It tells the story of a young lady who has difficulty speaking and how she’s able to open up when a player says nothing more than, “Hi Kathryn.”
It tells about how the players are willing to sit and answer all her questions and how they do it with smiles on their faces.
My son was the first to bring the letter to my attention by saying he had to read it to me. As he did, I could see the tears running down his cheeks and I know full well when he looked over the old man — he saw mine.
Next time you go to a junior hockey game and you don’t see much other than two teams trying to win a game, think how important that game is to an eleven year old named Kathryn.
If you get a chance to read the letter, I bet it will make you teary eyed, much like it did the Young’s.
My thanks to Jamie Munroe for a four minute reality check.
I’m Tom Young.
January 30th, 2008 at 10:41 am
Thanks for the kind words Tom.
Ever since that letter hit the newspaper, people around the rink who recognize me come up and tell me their own stories of how great the players are. It’s a good feeling, and I’m happy that you took the time to acknowledge the great things these guys have done for me, my niece, and countless other fans over the course of the season.
January 30th, 2008 at 1:42 pm
Hi Tom
You made my day. I’m Kathryn’s grandmother and Jamie’s mother. When I read Jamie’s original article I reached for the tissues and laughed through my tears: “You have to forgive a mother’s tears.”(Sniff sniff).
Thank you for validating my sentimentality as being much more universal than just personal pride.
Thank you for picking up the article and expanding on it. I know you reach thousands of people everyday and I know the SeaDogs deserve all the praise in the world for the transformations they have affected in Kathryn’s life.
I just wish there were more ‘uncles’ out there to write all the other storys about these young men and how they contribute to the lives of the wonderful citizens of Saint John and vicinity. Maybe you should put out a challenge and see if this is a one shot deal or if there are tens, hundreds, or thousands more. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could lead the news with a wonderful, terrific teen story? You know, something inspiring instead of devastating. Maybe we would even get some ‘copycat’ incidents going.
You’ve got the audience - and have had for many years.
Kudos, Susan