Yesterday started off as a great day! I was still on a high after a very successful speaking engagement at a new book club in town. Over 40 people came out to hear me speak and buy a copy of the book my story is in.
Yesterday was also the day that my blog rolled over 10,000 hits. I had been waiting and watching for that milestone for a few months now and I was excited and happy to see it happen.
Later in the day my happiness turned to sorrow when I learned of the death of Darcy Pohland, a reporter at WCCO in Minneapolis. I have done two stories on fire safety with Darcy over the past three years and I could always count on her to make it happen.
Not only was she an outstanding reporter, she was also a very vibrant and bubbly human being. Her enthusiasm for life was infectious and I loved being able to get to know her alittle bit more each time we did a story.
For those of you who live out of the WCCO viewing area, what you don’t know is that Darcy was also a quadrapalegic. One of the few, if not the only QP reporters in the country. At the age of 22 she dove into a pool and broke her neck … changing the course of her life forever.
For many people this type of accident would be devastating and hard to recover from. I’m sure it was extremely difficult for Darcy as well, but you would never know it. She never let her limitations stand in her way. It is said that her favorite word was … perseverence. That is something she had alot of.
Thank you Darcy … thank you for telling my story … for helping me to get the word out about fire safety … you loved the University of Minnesota just like my daughter did … probably even more. I’m so glad you got to experience the new Goopher stadium.
I didn’t know until yesterday that you were as passionate about figure skating as I am. I wish I would have brought my camera when we did our stories so that I could have captured a moment of the two of us together.
I’m sure you are now even more bubbly than you were when you were here … you no longer need your chair. I would like to think that you and Liz have found each other and are dancing and singing with JOY.
You are one of a kind Darcy and I don’t think there will ever be another reporter who can tell my story and the stories of many others the way that you could.
Job well done my friend … you will be missed.
Kim
LOVE LIVES ON 