The Importance in Reaching Out

I learned an important lesson on the importance in reaching out to others and first published this post years ago. I was moved by the support Rick Franzo offers as well as receives. He has been consistent with his mantra “A warrior never lets another warrior walk alone–ever!” for as long as I’ve known him. Check out his book, How Horseshoes Saved my Life: A Tale of Two Brain Tumors.

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It’s terrible to feel alone. And there’s probably no other time when a person feels more alone as when they’re dealing with a life-altering illness.

Let me introduce you to my friend Rick Franzo, the founder of Brain Tumor Talk. BTT was a radio show that ran between 2014 and 2017. He was the creator, producer, engineer as well as host of the worldwide radio show … one of the only radio shows on the planet dedicated to brain tumors and brain cancers. He knows very well what this is like. In 2009, he received his first diagnosis of having a brain tumor (a Meningioma), that left him paralyzed from the waist down. In 2017, he was diagnosed with yet another Meningioma along with an Acoustic Neuroma, a rare, non-malignant brain tumor.

To overcome his physical restrictions, Rick’s dealt with months of inpatient and outpatient therapy, Yet he never stopped practicing gratitude. I had the privilege of talking with Rick in 2015. I was more interested in listening to his story than telling my own.

Be Someone’s Hero

Rick knows what it’s like to face insurmountable odds. His go-to move … help others.  “I became interested in coaching because I never wanted people to feel helpless.”

God talks about that very thing.

 

[box] “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4[/box]

 

Be someone’s hero. Reach out to them. You don’t need to have answers. That’s not what they want from you. They have doctors and specialists for that. Ask them what they need. They might just want someone to stay close by.

Someone they can cry with … scream at … and someone who won’t lie to them and say everything’s going to be okay. Because nobody knows what’s coming with the next day.

 

 

[box] “The most important one [commandment], is this: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second [most important commandment] is: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:29-31[/box]

Don’t be afraid to reach out to someone who is hurting. And know you may not do it perfectly. But listen to them. Hear what they have to say. Isn’t that what you’d want … someone to do with you?

What say you?

What do you wonder about?  Are you happy … or are you doing what you never thought you’d do? Do you see consistencies … or are you all over the place? Drop me a line. I’d love to chat.

Struggling to find good in your life? Check out my award-winning book, God’s Best During Your Worst, or check out any of my other books on my Book page.