The job comes with emotion

     Saturday night I spent some time covering the Austin Strong Foundation Gala at the Jitney. The Foundation certainly outdid themselves this year.

     The event was not filled with tears, but laughs, all in the name of fighting childhood cancer.

     I cannot imagine the strength that it must have taken for Mikinzie Smith, who’s son Austin passed away two years ago from DIPG, to address a full house Saturday night.

     The Gala’s keynote speaker was KCRG-TV9’s weekend news anchor Chris Earl. Chris took a personal liking to the Smith family from the start when he came to Monticello to cover the fundraiser that was held at the Eagles Club. His words Saturday night were filled with emotion and heart-felt sympathy for the Smiths.

     But it was something Chris Earl said about being a reporter that stuck with me… He said as hard as it is, reporters are always told not to form emotional connections with those in which they interview, with the stories they share.

     Yet, as Chris spoke, he held back tears.

     Recently I interviewed Debbie McDermott who had the unimaginable courage to share her family’s story just three years after her son Brady’s tragic death from a drug overdose.

     A few weeks ago, Mikinzie Smith showed the same bravery and retold their story with me about losing Austin and the determination they have to find a cure for childhood cancer.

     Last spring, Molli and Brandon Hunter, and their only surviving daughter Hope, spoke with me five months after losing their youngest two children in a horrific car accident just a week before Christmas.

     When you’re tasked with sharing these families’ stories, when these families trust you to truthfully get their words out to the public, how do you not take some of that weight onto your self? How do you not get emotional?

     Working for a hometown newspaper, establishing longevity here, and being active in the community, people start to get to know. They befriend you. They start to trust you. For me, I want those people to know that it is a privilege to sit down with them and hear their story, and then take their words and turn it into something our readers at the Express can gain some insight on. I take my job seriously, and I do not put up a front or fake persona when conducting interviews.

     After sitting down with people like Debbie and Molli and Brandon, the information shared carries some weight. I’m not going to lie, but every Tuesday and Wednesday when people buy a copy of the Express or get the paper in the mail, I hold my breath knowing these personal and tragic stories are now out there for the public to read. All I can hope is our readers enjoy these stories, gain some insight on stories of loss, and hold those families in their thoughts and prayers.

     Today, April 11, marks the third anniversary of Brady McDermott’s death. How many people can muster the courage to capture their child’s short life this soon after his passing?

     While I don’t like to use my personal experiences or life stories of my own to an advantage, I feel those tribulations do help. In February 1999, I lost my young cousin who was in high school at the time to a car accident near Delhi. And when I hear Debbie’s story, the Hunters’ story and the Smiths’ story, I recall similar feelings. There are just certain things that stick with you, even years later. It helps me relate in a way.

     Debbie McDermott mentioned Brady’s loss was too hard to bear that she quit her 35-year nursing career. I had to immediately share with her that after my cousin’s passing, for whatever reason, my aunt did a complete 180 and went from managing their family farm to pursuing nursing. It was crazy the similarities between the McDermotts’ story and our family’s tragedy.

     I’ve definitely gained new friends after sitting down with people like this. Who wouldn’t based on the personal details and information about their lives and loved ones they open up about?

     Chris Earl said it’s ingrained in reporters and journalists to keep a brave face, don’t show emotion, and stay disconnected from your subject matter. But in a small town where people feel some healing from sharing those stories, we have a job to do. And that job also means showing kindness toward those you interview. It’s inevitable that you form strong bonds much like Chris did with Britt and Mikinzie Smith.