When I entered my 911 show clip to the Massachusetts Broadcasters Association 2017 Sound Bites for the Feature Story category, I was so honored at Mr. Ed Perry’s suggestion to enter, that I felt like I had already won. It’s a cliche I know, but it’s true. September 11, 2016 fell on a Sunday, and marked the 15 year anniversary, and many people that were killed, were from Massachusetts, so it was a no brainer to dedicate a show honoring the lives we lost as well as the survivors. Ironically, in 2001, I had just stepped off of a plane the night before 9/11, from visiting my friends in Charlotte, NC. Even more ironic, one of the flights that crashed into the towers, was the flight my husband had taken many times in his previous job commute to LA, the job he had changed only one month before. Needless to say, that time in history is etched into my memory, like so many Americans that were affected in the ripples of the aftermath.

I was very proud to pay tribute in that show, and in so many other shows I have done, with creative content and thought leadership. I chose to submit another Feature Story entry, this time, my show on Suicide Prevention. A subject very close to my heart. So close, that at the end of that special show, I revealed that I am a suicide attempt survivor. Anyone can imagine that winning the Merit Award in 2018 for this entry was rewarding in layers and layers of ways. Together, Wendy Juergens, who’s adult son Nick died by suicide, and I, took the stage with extreme sensitivity and caution, to boldly bring awareness around a subject that is very much taboo. Our combined mission led us to a beautifully thought provoking show, my entry, just one of 239 submissions, for only 19 categories. To be the recipient of this Feature Story Merit Award was extremely special, and I am so grateful. I am so blessed, to be a conduit to such an extremely important subject, that affects so many people in the world we live in today.