Last Tuesday 750 people got up early to join their friends, neighbors and co-workers to celebrate the accomplishments of an impressive group of “real heroes” at the annual Snohomish County Red Cross Real Heroes breakfast.
They were treated to a heartwarming event filled with meaningful stories and images that underscored the enormous impact the American Red Cross has around the world and right here in our own community.
Over the course of the morning, applause filled the ballroom at the Edward D. Hansen Conference Center as awards were presented in 10 categories — spotlighting acts of courage, heroism and selflessness.
Take, for example, the story of Lake Stevens High School assistant football coach Kyle “Biggs” Bigham. Last September, in a literal heartbeat, he found himself in a life-threatening situation on the sidelines. Fortunately, six real heroes rushed to his side and responded to his cardiac arrest with manual CPR and a jolt from an automatic external defibrillator. In a video tribute to the people who jumped in to help him that night, Bigham articulated his thanks, sharing that “some sit on the sidelines — some choose to play — these people chose to play for me.” Those assembled were treated to a special moment when Bigham himself stepped onto the stage to present the awards to each of his heroes.
Nearly to a person, those honored were quick to argue that they didn’t really feel like heroes. Instead, they were just ordinary people who used their skills and training to do the right thing. Thankfully, doing the right thing is the hallmark of American Red Cross.
Perhaps the intangible value of the Red Cross is best related in a story shared by Board Chair Tim Serban. On behalf of the Snohomish County Red Cross, Serban packed his faith and compassion and answered the call to travel to New York in the days following Sept. 11, 2001. He needed both (along with a healthy dose of courage) prior to visiting the devastation of Ground Zero with a young woman who lost her husband in the terrorist attack. Placing her hand on her abdomen, the pregnant widow asked a very direct and difficult question. “Is it bad?” Serban dug deep to find the right words and choked up as he related his emotions to the crowd. His simple response, “Yes, it’s bad,” is one that is all too common in the types of situations to which volunteers from the American Red Cross respond.
We owe each of them (along with our own real heroes who stood uncomfortably in the spotlight last week) an enormous debt of gratitude.
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