Earlier today, I was thinking about what it takes to be a hero. What do you think about when the word "hero" is said to you? Do you think about a fireman, or a policeman, or a soldier? Do you think of a teacher that changed your life, or turned it around?
I have several heroes. My father and my brother are but two of them. But today, I couldn't get an LAPD officer by the name of Stacy Lim out of my mind.
Stacy Lim is an LAPD officer, who was driving home one night from her after-work softball game. She was off-duty and in her own clothing and car. Unbeknownst to her, she was being followed by a group of armed car-jackers, who were intent on stealing her car. When she got home, she was ambushed by the car-jackers. She identified herself as a police officer. One of the suspects, a young male with a long history of violent crimes, shot her. In the heart. With a .357 Magnum.
After this officer was shot, in the heart, with a .357 Magnum, she did not lay down, give up, and die. She decided that since he had shot her, it was only fair that she shot him. And she did. Several times. This woman, shot in the heart (did I mention that she was shot with a freakin' .357 Magnum?) chased her would-be killer across the yard, shooting him repeatedly. He died.
Even after this threat was ended, Stacy didn't give up. She had the presence of mind to strip the magazine from her weapon and throw it away, to prevent her own weapon from being used against her. Finally, she fell over. The medics and doctors wound up bringing her back from the brink of death three times. She survived, and went back on patrol as soon as she was able.
I thought of her because I thought of how easy it would have been for her to just quit. She had done much more than any one person should have had to, and much more than what could have ever been expected of her. She ended the threat against her and against anyone else that the gangbanger could have hurt. She was badly injured, (some would say terminally), and yet, she DID NOT GIVE UP!
As many of you know, last year, I was facing my own challenge. I was told by my doctor that I may be, sooner or later, reduced to a wheelchair. My spine was affected by an unusual issue, and my lower body was not doing any of the things that I came to take for granted. At first I didn't know even if I was going to survive. But my doctors shot me full of steroids, and my spine healed.
But there were times that I sat in my chair, blankly staring at the TV. I was scared, literally, shitless. I went through a few days of severe depression, and wondered what I would do if I couldn't be a cop any more. All of my hobbies, weight-lifing, Aikido, even the books that I read and the TV shows that I watched, all revolved around police work.
Finally, I pulled my head out of my ass, looked around, and observed the world. I realized that even if I could not be a cop, I could still serve the public (my big plan was to become a dispatcher) and regardless of what happened, I WOULD NOT GIVE UP.
The good news is, I didn't have to give up my dream job, and I was able to return to work.
The thought that I am passing along is, regardless of what happens, regardless of the hurdles that are thrown at you, regardless of your challenges, NEVER GIVE UP. ALWAYS FIGHT, ALWAYS KEEP GOING.
