Tag Archive | dave hynek

Hello

class

“Hey, are you the news lady?”

“I USED to be the news lady. Now I work for you!”

Hello. My name is Brandi. Welcome to my life on the other side.

Photo courtesy Mitch Francis

This job at Westside has allowed me to continue to share stories as I had for years at KETV, while shifting the spotlight to the students, teachers and programs making a difference in District 66. I have absolutely loved working with the aspiring journalists like the two you see above who are learning in the Westside High journalism department. I LOVE seeing the excitement in our teachers and coaches when their students, teams and ideas get attention from one of our local stations. And I have been so inspired to see the pride in this District as more and more, all of these wonderful things are shared with people throughout our city and beyond.

I get asked quite a bit.. do I miss KETV? For sure.. I miss the people. Many of my former colleagues were also my extended family. I miss Kristyna making me laugh so hard I cried. I miss Andy and Rob trying to make me crack up during commercial breaks. I won’t be there when Fry brings in that beautiful, perfect baby boy. I miss my people.

I also miss storytelling. I think there’s a perception that everyone on TV does it to be on camera.. FALSE. I DON’T miss that. You’ll often catch me in my office at Westside with my hair in a pony tail, no lipstick, and if I’m lucky, taking advantage of a casual Friday in jeans and a Warriors pullover. I would argue that most journalists entered the field to WRITE. To share powerful stories. To channel a creative fire in our hearts into this crazy thing called journalism.

With that… HELLO! And welcome back to Anchor’s Away, the blog I created to share stories that pique my interest, inspire me, and that I hope inspire you to make our world a better place. My hopes to continue Throwback Thursday this football season came to a screeching halt as I focused on my responsibilities at Westside and my #1 priority as momma and wife at home. Now approaching 6 months in to my new reality, I welcome you to my Grand ReOpening of sorts.. with my 4th year of There She Is profiles leading up to this year’s Miss Nebraska and Miss Nebraska’s Outstanding Teen pageant and a new feature, Nebraska, showcasing some truly phenomenal people across our state. My good friend and photojournalist Dave Hynek and I have spent the last several weeks producing 9 profiles, focusing on Northeast Nebraska, and it has been a project that truly, left me speechless.

happy

One of my favorite quotes is, ‘Do more of what makes you happy.’ Happiness is my children laughing. Happiness is a big glass of wine with Grey’s Anatomy and Project Runway queued up on the DVR. Happiness is a spring baseball game with my husband at my side. Happiness is uncontrollable laughter with my girlfriends. And Happiness is sitting in the quiet of night, after my boys are asleep, and WRITING.

Last year, this blog reached 128,000 views and 86,000 readers. THAT BLOWS MY MIND. Thank you, and thanks for coming back to Anchor’s Away.

With More Complete Coverage..

Jul11

Journalism 101. Start every story with your best sound and your best video. Don’t bury the lead. With that… this month is my last at KETV, after 15 years as a journalist at the only station I’ve ever known.

***

When I was a little girl, I used to sit on the stairs in our split level house in Papillion, with my legs dangling through the steps and a notebook in front of me. I would just write. I would write about my day. I would play the game Life by myself, and use each space as a prompt to write a fictional story. I’ve kept a journal since I had huge glasses and buck teeth. In college, long-form essays and papers weren’t hassles, I relished them; I love letting the words just HAPPEN, and the surge of accomplishment when those words come full circle and everything just FITS.

I’ve always been a natural ‘performer’. I was the ham hogging the attention for our 1st generation camcorder, jumping in front of my Dad with a goofy voice or song whenever he had the thing rolling. I tried out for show choir every year I could, and joined the speech team my very first year of high school. Speaking just came easily for me; and I was GOOD at it. Forensics, theater and choir were my LIFE in high school.

I was never in journalism. I didn’t carry around a Barbara Walters lunchbox. I floated around my first year of college not knowing where I belonged or what my future looked like. My sophomore year at UNL, I took Introduction to Broadcasting with Tom Spann, and was fascinated by a world of history, SHARING history, writing, and reporting. Somehow the idea of an internship surfaced, and KETV was the station I grew up watching. My mom bumped into longtime weekend anchor/reporter Pamela Jones at a city meeting, got contact information for the intern program, and I emailed Managing Editor Joe Kasmir the next day. I showed up for my interview a good half an hour early.. and I will never forget walking through the Newsplex doors, overwhelmed to see the same set and newsroom I had watched on TV for so long. Julie Cornell and Rob McCartney were just finishing the 6pm broadcast, and Julie looked up and smiled at me.

***

How do you sum up 15 years?

My first breaking news live shot at NP Dodge Park… that was God awful.

Covering my first night of tornadoes as an intern, Scott Buer at the wheel of the car, and me in the passenger seat wearing a green skirt suit and heels, trekking around in mud and rain COMPLETELY unprepared, but willing to stay out as long as Scott did.

Talking to a suspect in jail dubbed the ‘Bare Butt Bandit’, and hearing later from my best friend’s now-husband: ‘I said, Please God, let Brandi be doing that story..’

An Iowa shooting late at night with photojournalist Mike Richard, and then lying in the backseat on the way home with my eyes squeezed shut, battling a nauseous migraine.

Live shots on the field at Memorial Stadium with Rob on one side and Jon on the other.. when a stray football was punted right into the side of my face. Hearing my Assistant News Director Vonn Jones yelling in my ear ’30 seconds!!’ as I tried to regain my composure.. as did Jon and Rob (from dying laughing…)

Driving 8 hours throughout the night with Justin Riviera to cover an arrest in the Jon Benet Ramsey murder in Boulder, Colorado. I was overwhelmed by literally HUNDREDS of rabid reporters; he shoved me and said ‘get in there, Petersen!’

Covering an afternoon and evening of tornado threats across western Iowa with photojournalist Dave Hynek. Laughs because of a nerve-wracking live shot.. laughing that turned to chaos and sheer sadness when we learned less than an hour later about the tragedy at the Little Sioux Boy Scout Camp. We worked through the night side by side, waiting for the details that would shake our community and the country.

Countless tears when things went wrong. Crying to my roommate, wondering what I should have done better. Coming home and sobbing to myself, questioning my decisions as not only a reporter, but a human being.

Westroads. Derek Ruth. The Butternut fire. The paralyzed bride. Clayton Hildreth. Evan Sharp. Pediatric brain cancer. Amber Harris. Baby Lawrence. La Paz, Mexico.

JP Carter. John Matya. Trisha Meuret. Tom Elser. Joe Kasmir. Cathy Beeler. Jay Roberts. Vonn Jones. Jon Schuetz. Sean McMahon. Justin Riviera. Renee Ludvik. Kristyna Engdahl. Jeremy Maskel. Adrian Whitsett. Andy Ozaki. Natalie Glucklich. Melissa Fry. ROB, ANDY, DAVE. My coworkers that have become my family.

Through KETV, I met my husband. I was on air throughout my pregnancies with both of my boys. We moved; twice. This is where we grew up; this is home.

At KETV we lost Joe, my mentor who hired me, fueled my passion for journalism, and always, ALWAYS pushed me to be better, while making me feel like I was really something special. I often wish he had been alive to see me anchor ‘the big show’.

We lost Jeff Frolio, the photographer who told me about jazz, and how special music was for him and his wife. It was the music at his final service that broke me down.

***

Just like my stories… in so many ways, THIS story has come full circle for me. My sweet ‘baby’ boy Easton will start Kindergarten in a few short weeks. Guys, I need to be here with my children. I need to hear about their days, I need to be there for school concerts and carnivals and dinner on our deck. I need to hear THEIR stories, and I need to be PART of their stories when they look back and share them throughout their lives. News is a business like no other; it never stops. Tornadoes don’t drop from the sky from 9-5, Monday through Friday. Tragedies don’t happen just while we’re on the clock. There will be another journalist, waiting and ready, to slide into that spot next to Rob to anchor our evening newscast every night, but I am my boys’ ONLY MOTHER. I am the ONLY MOMMA they will ever have.

God works in mysterious ways; he always has a plan, though we may not understand it as it’s unfolding. Next month, I will join the Communications team with Westside Community Schools. I still get to tell stories; GREAT stories about incredible students, teachers making a difference, programs that impact generations of kids. I get to showcase the GOOD in our world; I get to WRITE. But every day, I also get to go home to my family. We can eat dinner together. We can play at the park, and watch the sunset, wake up the next morning and do it all over again. I know I’ll be home every Christmas morning, I’ll get to watch fireworks with my kids every 4th of July, I get to stay at the pool with them Sunday mornings instead of putting on my makeup, straightening my hair and heading to the station. I need to say this: I have SO MUCH RESPECT for working parents, regardless of their shifts. People all over America work crazy hours, love what they do, and love their lives at home. I work with many of them here at 7!

For me.. it’s just time. Still, as I write this, I still feel the tears welling up behind my eyes. I am so excited for this new opportunity and new chapter in my life, but it truly is so hard to say goodbye. My fear is that I didn’t matter. That time will go on and it will be like I was never there. That sounds really narcissistic and egotistical; truly, I’ve tried to make a point in my career to NOT make everything about me, to make our stories about THE PEOPLE, PLACES, AND ISSUES we are sharing. But to everyone throughout these 15 years who’s made me feel ‘like a big deal’.. to everyone who has watched us, followed us, trusted us.. THANK YOU. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. I don’t have words beyond that.. but I hope you understand the deep gratitude from the bottom of my heart: THANK YOU.

WATCH KETV. You will NEVER find a better journalist than Rob McCartney. This dude is one of the best human beings I have ever known; he cares, he listens, he is always asking questions and trying to dig a little deeper to share the most complete story possible, and I’d argue NO ONE is trusted as a journalist in our state more than Rob. He is noble, smart, a leader, compassionate. He is a good friend. Bill Randby is HANDS DOWN THE BEST meteorologist you could ever turn to; NO ONE cares more about providing people accurate information than this guy, and truly one of the most genuinely KIND people I have ever met. Kristyna Engdahl is BRILLIANT. Her writing is phenomenal, she’s fair, she has a GIFT for public speaking and thinking on her feet, and I WISH everyone at home could meet her and feel her energy in person.. because she makes EVERY DAY better when you’re around her. Andy Kendeigh is the big brother I never had–always supportive, always caring, just an AMAZING GUY and such a wonderful friend. And holy crap, is this guy GOOD. Athletes and coaches LOVE him for a reason–he’s hilarious, hard working, devoted to what he shares every night and throughout every season. In addition… our future is so very bright. Alexandra Stone, Chinh Doan, Laurann Robinson, Sean Everson, Matt Serwe, Cem Brinklow, Ashley Nodgaard, Josh Gear, Davonte McKenith, David Earl, Katie Bane, Tanner Kahler, Matt Lothrop, Camila Orti… all of the people you see and many you don’t… they are HUNGRY for good journalism. They want to tell good stories. They are willing to sacrifice sleep, personal time, personal LIVES, to make KETV the best it can be. This team IS TRULY THE BEST. You will not find local news in our state that is better–YOU JUST WON’T.

***

I knew this day was coming. I didn’t think it would be this WEIRD. That’s the only word that makes sense. I don’t have enough words, and at the same time, I feel like I’ve said too much.

We’ve got a few weeks left, Omaha–let’s make it awesome. Westside, I hope to make you proud. KETV, I hope I’ve made a mark, some kind of difference.

And to my boys.. I love you. Let’s go hunt some pokemon and have a great morning together.

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Photo courtesy Photography By CB

2014: Year In Review

Dec29

I mean, really, what’s the point of having a blog if you can’t hand out imaginary awards that are voted on by only YOU?

I’m a big believer in recognizing the POSITIVE things going on in our world. In news, we certainly see the bad. A lot of it. Day in and day out. But I think KETV does a great job of also highlighting the GOOD. The students who vote for a special needs friend for Homecoming King. The community rallying around a family in their darkest hour. A business finding incredible success through simple hard work and dedication to their craft.

As we close out on 2014, here are my Year In Review Local News awards.

(Thank you for continuing to read though you are probably doing so while laughing.. not with me, just AT me..)

2014 KETV REPORTER OF THE YEAR

KRISTYNA ENGDAHL

This lady is just FANTASTIC. I don’t have enough adjectives for her. Beautiful. HILARIOUS. Sharp. Well spoken. Fearless. Respected. Kristyna’s stories are well written and solid; if she tells you something, you know it to be true and researched. Kristyna’s live presence is just AWESOME. She’s articulate, she gets to the point at a scene, she shares what viewers want and need to know. When Kristyna’s in our newsroom, our coverage is GREAT. We have so many incredible journalists on our team here at KETV, but for me, Kristyna is our 2014 reporter of the year. Now, as a person.. SHE. IS. AWESOME. My day is truly brighter when I come in to work and see that beautiful smile, then hear her joking at her desk. (Then I usually snort coffee up my nose laughing, because she is HANDS DOWN the funniest person in our newsroom!) Like I said, I don’t have enough adjectives for Kristyna. I do have a message to her: THANK YOU for being you!

Kristyna’s work in 2014:

First interview with Nebraska Governor-Elect Pete Ricketts

$100 Reward offered for return of Baby Jesus

Survivor recalls Sunday morning crash

Follow Kristyna on Facebook and on Twitter!

***

2014 KETV PHOTOJOURNALIST OF THE YEAR

DAVE HYNEK (photo courtesy Jodi Hoatson, CHI Health)

Again, we have so many, SO MANY, incredibly talented photojournalists here at KETV. Still, for me, Dave Hynek is THE BEST OF THE BEST. Not just at KETV, but arguably, one of the best in the country. Dave FEELS what he shoots–he captures moments with his eyes, his ears, and all of his senses. I’ve been honored to share some INCREDIBLE stories this year and in 3/4 of those stories or more, Dave was the man behind the camera and in the edit bay, trying to piece together a vision I had written down on paper. A brave, young woman speaking for the first time about the night her ex-boyfriend shot her in the face; Dave put the story together. Our chronicle about Baby Lawrence, multiple stories spanning several months; Dave put the stories together. Cassidy Collier, a teenager facing lifelong challenges after a terrible car crash; Dave put her story together. The paralyzed bride who walked down the aisle, the Plattsmouth teenager who died from a mysterious illness, our one-on-one interview with former Nebraska football coach Bo Pelini–DAVE HYNEK was the man behind the scenes in each and everyone of these stories. When we aren’t fighting over Dave in news, he’s also part of our sports team, often traveling with Andy to Nebraska football road games to shoot on the sidelines; AND he has his own production business, shooting weddings and special events. Dave helped me put together my audition tape for the College World Series this year (singing, not playing baseball), asking nothing in return. Dave may be one hell of a photographer, but he’s an even better FRIEND. Dave listens, works hard, he is KIND. Hands down, he is THE BEST. (And a SUPERSTAR shortstop on the Team Paparazzi softball team!)

Dave’s work in 2014:

Cassi’s message

Saving Baby Lawrence

New mother battling terminal cancer

***

2014 PRODUCER OF THE YEAR, ANDREW BEIN

No picture of Andrew, our Executive Producer in charge of our 10pm newscasts.. and that’s the way he likes it. Andrew is always behind the scenes, plugging away at his computer or up in our master control booth, and the DUDE IS A MACHINE. Andrew could hands down be working in any big market or network outlet in the country; his writing in concise, accurate, and entertaining. The numbers show it–with Andrew in control, KETV has not only the #1 10pm newscast in Omaha.. but one of the most popular newscasts in the country. Rob and I TRUST him. We know his scripts don’t have typos that could trip us up. We know he’ll guide us through breaking news, weather coverage and an ever-changing environment where situations turn in a heartbeat. Producers don’t often get the credit they deserve in our business–they don’t get their faces and names on our stories and coverage when things go great. Andrew deserves it–he’s one of the best, and we are VERY lucky to have him on the KETV team!

***

2014 ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

ALEXANDRA STONE

By ‘Rookie’, I mean new to us here at KETV, but certainly not new to this thing we call journalism. This young woman is POISED, professional and quickly building a reputation in Omaha and beyond as a trusted journalist you can turn to for the story. I recently put together a story with an interview Alexandra had conducted; she spoke with the mother of a young man who had been shot and killed. These interviews are SO incredibly difficult. What can you ask? What can you say? Alexandra was compassionate, caring, she asked the questions that we and our viewers wanted to know, but with tact and professionalism. It was a lesson in how to conduct yourself in such a tough situation, to remember you are a fellow human being. It was also Alexandra who, after 13 years in TV news, led me to CRY on air for the first time I can remember after seeing one of her stories. Alexandra and photojournalist Matthew Lathan showed a young man with cerebral palsy, surprised on the field when his coach put him into the game for the first time all season. It was just BEAUTIFUL story telling, and perhaps, a small glimpse of what incredible things this girl is capable of.

Alexandra’s work in 2014:

Bellevue football player receives sidelines surprise

Omaha native makes dream job reality

Women’s center helps immigrants escape domestic violence

Follow Alexandra on Facebook and on Twitter

***

I wish I had an ‘in’ with a trophy maker so I could hand out a few more awards. To photojournalist Tyler White for editing not one, not two, but nearly ALL of my Throwback Thursday Huskers stories (some of which required deep digging into the KETV archives, converting countless forms of video, and piecing it all together with my less-than-stellar knowledge of football). To KETV’s official EVERYTHING Josh Gear, who produces, shoots, edits.. OK, the guy just does anything and EVERYTHING asked of him, literally, working every shift we have at KETV, with no complaint. To legendary directors Tom Rock and Ruth Behrens, who are not only PHENOMENAL at what they do, but are always putting on a pot of coffee or bringing in made-from-scratch chili, because they are just KIND, WONDERFUL people. We’ve just got a really, REALLY great team here at KETV.

***

2014 STORY OF THE YEAR

For this one, I am completely, entirely, TOTALLY biased. Because this one is very personal for me. The story I will remember most from 2014..

THE PARALYZED BRIDE WHO WALKED DOWN THE AISLE

Gina Giaffoliogne-Springhower stunned her wedding guests and 1.65 MILLION viewers by doing what so many brides take for granted, walking down the aisle on her father’s arm. The KETV team (myself, photojournalists Dave Hynek, Ashley Nodgaard and Tyler White, and Assistant News Director Vonn Jones), along with the Giaffoliogne family and CHI Health’s Jodi Hoatson, spent weeks planning and working to share Gina’s story. Gina spent YEARS preparing for this one moment, an instant that brought me to tears and inspired millions of people around the globe. Gina’s story was shared by E! Online, People Magazine, Dr. Oz, CNN, ABC World News and World News Now, Good Housekeeping, Huffington Post, Courier Daily, and the NY Daily News, among others. Gina–THANK YOU for sharing your story. Your message, smile and spirit have no doubt changed lives, showing anyone facing a challenge that ANYTHING is possible. You have given people hope. To have any role in sharing your story is a blessing I can never say thank you enough for. The world is at your fingertips, Gina–you are simple incredible.

My blog post previewing Gina’s piece: A Cinderella Story

KETV, Paralyzed bride walks down the aisle

KETV, Millions share paralyzed bride’s story

KETV, Paralyzed bride invited to Dr. Oz

Gina hopes to continue to speak across the Midwest and the country sharing her story and her inspiring message. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION!

***

I have many goals for 2015. I want to finish (and in some cases, START!) my boys’ Shutterfly books for each year of their lives. I want to pick up again on one of my favorite hobbies, scrapbooking. I want to FINALLY get back to XXX and lose all of my baby weight. I want to be a GREAT wife, mother and friend.

Here at KETV, I just want to tell good stories. Stories that inspire. Stories that matter. Stories that make us think.

It’s been a great ride, 2014. Happy New Year.

Paging Dr. Husker

Nov19

A few years ago, photojournalist Dave Hynek and I chronicled an AMAZING story about a father, donating a kidney to his young son. We followed their journey from start to finish, including in the moments leading up to the transplant. We interviewed a very brave Dad as his anesthesiologist inserted his IVs to prepare him for sedation.

You’d think I would’ve learned…

I don’t handle needles well. Like, I pass out when I see one. (Really. It’s not embarrassing AT ALL.)

So here I am, in the surgery preparation area of the Nebraska Medical Center, getting more and more lightheaded, trying to conduct an interview.

Right at the moment I feared I was going to lose my breakfast or crash head first into the floor, I STOOD UP AND LEFT THE ROOM MID-INTERVIEW. Dave finished it for me. Apparently, it was pretty obvious I was having ‘problems’. Dave came out of the area laughing, and noted that the anesthesiologist had noticed, too.

‘You know who that was, right?’ Dave asked me.

DR. ROB ZATECHKA. As in Husker legend turned doctor Rob Zatechka.

REALLY. Not embarrassing AT ALL.

Clearly, I was not destined for a career in medicine, but a lot of Huskers have been. ‘Dr. Rob’, Judd Davies, Sean Fisher… and now..

Dr. Mike Stuntz, Nebraska Free Safety (photo courtesy Nebraska Athletics!)

#16 permanently sealed his place in Nebraska Football history as a freshman, taking part in one of the most memorable plays in recent years. Nebraska versus Oklahoma in 2001, a key game in Nebraska’s journey to the national title game and Eric Crouch’s to the Heisman trophy. Out of nowhere in the 4th quarter, Crouch tosses the ball to Thunder Collins, who tosses the ball to Stuntz. Stuntz, just 18, delivers a rocket to Crouch downfield, who runs for a 63-yard touchdown. Nebraska beats the #2 team in the country, 20-10.

“I can’t think of one [play] that meant more to our team that I contributed to. I can’t think of one that people talk about with me more often than that one,” Stuntz told me in a recent interview. “We started practicing it early in the week. I knew about it, even starting that Monday, I think. We ran it throughout the week and it never really worked that well in practice. During the game, they told me even in the first half they were think about running it. Whey they finally called it, I was a little surprised, it was so late in the game and the game was so close.”

During what many might consider a nerve-rattling moment, Stuntz just ‘played the way he’d always played’.

“It’s almost one of those ‘ignorance is bliss’ things,” said Stuntz. “I didn’t really realize just how much people cared about Nebraska football, college football in general, how big of a game it was. You’re just kind of oblivious to all that when you’re 18 years old.”

You want to talk nerves, imagine this: HOLDING YOUR NEWBORN DAUGHTER FOR THE FIRST TIME.

Dads, do you remember that moment? Mike Stuntz does; it just happened a month ago when he and wife Natalie welcomed their first child, Blakely Autumn.

“I knew what I was doing on that play, I played football all the time. I’d never been a dad before,” said Stuntz. “So that was, definitely, without a question, more nerve wracking, the first time I saw Blakely.”

“He did use the football hold, though!” added Natalie with a smile.

Stuntz doesn’t just know football, he was pretty darn good at it. An incredibly versatile player, Stuntz saw time at free safety, split end, and reserve quarterback at Nebraska. Off the field, Stuntz also excelled in the classroom, a 9-time Academic Honor Roll member in the Big 12 and a 2005 First-Team Academic All-Big 12 student. His college major also attracted attention; Stuntz earned his degree in professional golf management.

This photo shows Stuntz golfing Lilongwe Golf Club in Malawi in 2011, his former career colliding with new. See, Stuntz told me he loved golf, but didn’t know if he had passion to pursue it for 40+ years. He discovered a new passion: medicine.

Natalie Stuntz is also a doctor, a pediatrician with CHI Health. Mike is in his first year of residency at the Nebraska Medical Center, specializing in ophthalmology. The two didn’t meet in medical circles, but certainly have A LOT in common professionally now, including the summer they spent together in Africa working at a Pediatric AIDS hospital.

They even found a Husker fan, thousands of miles away!

THAT is pretty normal for Dr. Mike Stuntz, still recognized nine years after hanging up his cleats, 13 years after that legendary play.

“I’ll be in the hospital or in the clinic or something like that, and it’ll be a patient and they’ll just say ‘aren’t you that guy?'” said Stuntz. “It happens much more often than I thought it would. I always enjoy talking about it.”

ESPECIALLY with his biggest fan. Miss Blakey is also his smallest.

“I come downstairs, and whether she’s awake or not she comes with me. We sit on the couch right here, we turn on the TV and we don’t move for the next 12 hours or so,” said Stuntz. “I’m pretty sure she’s very engrossed in the games, and then afterwards we have a nice group discussion about it. Her input is limited, but it’s growing.”

Stuntz’s message for today’s players is about the bigger world outside of football. Even when he bumps into his former teammates Dr. Judd Davies or Dr. Kyle Ringenberg, they talk about research and their goals in the hospital now, not what they used to be on the field.

And when Dr. Stuntz, Dr. Stuntz, and Lil Stuntz are at home, the focus is on family.

“I want to be Mom and Dad,” said Natalie. “When we’re at home, we leave work. We’re Mom and Dad, Mike and Natalie, and I want that for her.”

And when that little beauty opens up her gorgeous blue eyes to gaze up at her mom and dad, it’s easy to see why.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH KETV’S THROWBACK THURSDAY FEATURE ON MIKE STUNTZ!

For more on #16 Mike Stuntz check out his bio with Nebraska Athletics.

***

Click here to Throwback to the Class of 2003, Brett Lindstrom!

Next week, A SPECIAL FINALE of the 2014 Throwback Thursday Series, Coach Milt Tenopir!

Saving Baby Lawrence

Nov16

There are few things more innocent, more perfect, more beautiful, than watching a baby turn because they recognize the sound of their parent’s voice. Thinking back on those moments with my own boys brings me to tears. I remember seeing their first smiles, and knowing they were smiling at me, their momma.

The first time I met Baby Lawrence, that’s what I remember most. He only had eyes for his mom.

Shalina and Lawrence

We get Facebook messages, tweets, and emails everyday from viewers asking us to do stories. THANK YOU for that! YOU are the eyes and ears of our community, YOU are who help us tell stories. I wish we could tell them all.

I don’t know how many messages I got that day last March, but there was SOMETHING about Shalina Bolden’s message to me that pulled at my heart. A mother, writing to me from her son’s room at Children’s, where he had been for MONTHS. Her son was very sick with a very rare disease; she needed help.

#CantStopWontStop

She had that phrase EVERYWHERE across her Facebook page.

#CantStopWontStop

Shalina Bolden would not quit fighting until her son was living a healthy, happy life.

#CantStopWontStop

***

Lawrence and my son, Evan, are less than two months apart in age. As any mom does, I couldn’t help but compare the two. First, BABY LAWRENCE IS A BIG BOY!! I think during that first visit, Shalina told me she was buying 2T t-shirts for Lawrence’s 1st birthday outfit. He was also popping four teeth at the time and was a drooling machine! But while my little Evan was scooting around and playing with toys (mostly his brother’s), Baby Lawrence was stuck in his hospital bed. The same hospital bed he had been in for FIVE MONTHS. Lawrence was born with complete Di’George Syndrome, possibly the first child in Nebraska to have it. Lawrence had lung issues, a heart defect and NO IMMUNE SYSTEM. To even see him, my photographer Dave Hynek and I, as well as Children’s Media Relations Director Cherie Lytle, had to scrub our hands and gown up top to bottom, (including our faces, hair and shoes), before entering Lawrence’s room. A simple cold that our bodies could fight off, could’ve killed Lawrence.

FIVE MONTHS. He’d been in that bed FOR FIVE MONTHS. That’s all I kept thinking about. He hadn’t been to a park. He hadn’t been in a stroller. He couldn’t just crawl around his living room floor playing with blocks and Hot Wheels. He’d been in a hospital room for five months.

That got to me, and what almost brought me to tears was thinking about the time he spent in that room alone. Shalina worked full time at a nursing home. She often went straight to Lawrence’s bedside after her shift, and her young daughters knew Children’s like a second home. Still, I kept thinking of those hours she couldn’t be there, and of Lawrence, alone in his hospital bed.

“I just want Lawrence to have a chance at life,” Shalina told me that day, through tears. “To understand what it’s like to not be in a hospital bed.”

Shalina got word of a procedure that offered hope; a thymus transplant only being performed by one doctor at Duke University, and it was not federally approved. At the time Shalina contacted me, the state of Nebraska had denied the family’s request, twice, to cover a thymus transplant. Doctors told Shalina Bolden that Lawrence might live to see his second birthday.

#CantStopWontStop

***

Our first story aired March 30, 2014.

Baby Lawrence, wearing a onesie reading ‘Bananas for Mommy’, stole viewers’ hearts around the country (ABC News also picked up his story.) Changes were already in the works; after our interview with Shalina we learned the state set aside earlier coverage denials. Advocates with the state of Nebraska, Duke University Medical Center including Dr. Louise Markert, and Lawrence’s team at Children’s, all joined forces to figure out a solution.

#CantStopWontStop

***

April 14, 2014, I was sitting at my desk in the Newsplex and took a phone call.

It was Shalina Bolden, in tears. Nebraska Medicaid approved Lawrence’s transplant. Photographer John Matya and I were there as Shalina told her family, friends and the nurses who had cared for her baby for so many months, that Baby Lawrence was finally getting his surgery. He had just turned 1 year old a few days earlier.

baby lawrence birthday

“It took a couple of minutes for it to digest and then tears just fell down my face,” Shalina told me.

At that point, Lawrence was third on the transplant list. He had to be healthy enough to fly to Duke; he had to be healthy enough for surgery.

Shalina had to leave her job.. and her two daughters. She had to find someone to take care of her little girls, while she took care of her little boy in a strange place far from home.

What Shalina thought would be eight weeks turned into nearly four months, waiting for that bittersweet moment when she’d leave her children to give her baby boy a chance at life.

baby lawrence july

#CantStopWontStop

***

August 19, 2014, Baby Lawrence, at just 16-months old, took his first jet ride.

“We landed and Lawrence slept through the whole flight and everything,” Shalina messaged me.

More waiting. Lawrence stood for the first time on September 18th..

He started to learn how to crawl in his new hospital room..

lawrence crawling

His mom rarely left his side..

..heartbreaking for this mother of not one, but three children. While Shalina and Lawrence waited in North Carolina through August and then September, her sister cared for her daughters, Ja’Era and Ja’Lesia, 20 hours away in Omaha.

“I miss my girls like crazy. It is very hard to be away,” Shalina told me. “My oldest daughter just had a birthday, that was super hard, but I’ve explained it to them so they understand why I’m away.”

#CantStopWontStop

***

September 26, 2014.
“A pray has been answered today!” Shalina posted on Facebook. “I got confirmation that Lawrence will be getting his transplant October 9th!!! If everyone can keep him in your prayers.”

On the morning of October 9, 2014, ‘Baby Lawrence’ Bolden finally received the transplant his mom fought so hard for.

Later that same day, Shalina sent me a message.

“Everything went good, it only took an hour,” she said. “He is already back to being busy Lawrence.”

See for yourself; click here to watch KETV’s follow up featuring Baby Lawrence’s story and transplant

I cannot get ENOUGH of this little man. So many surgeries, so many needle pokes and painful procedures and long waits. And yet, he is SO SWEET! Always smiling, always big, open eyes checking out his world, and still, always looking at his momma.

shalina shirt

Author Elizabeth Stone once wrote: “Making the decision to have a child – it is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body. ”

As a mother, you would do anything for your child. You would take on their pain so they wouldn’t feel it. You stay awake all night holding them if it gives them comfort. You would die in an instant for them.

Shalina Bolden NEVER took no for an answer to save her little boy.

#CantStopWontStop

God willing, she’ll have her little boy home and healthy, with his sisters, for the first time in a year.. just in time for Christmas.

If I Could Be Like Mike

Sep8

Remember the commercials? The jingle? “I wanna be, I wanna be like Mi-ike!”

(Clearly, I am a child of the 80’s)

Why did we idolize Michael Jordan? Other than the fact he was arguably the best basketball player of all time..

As my boys grow up, I know they’ll have any number of role models they admire and want to be just like. It’s easy to look up to amazing athletes, superstar celebrities, and the rich and powerful. There are qualities that don’t always get the same attention that are, in my opinion, so important, so valued, so WONDERFUL, and if a few more people tried to showcase those attributes, this world could be such a better place.

I’m blessed to work with a few people who showcase those qualities every, single day.

Melissa Fry

Stunning. HILARIOUS. Beautiful on the inside and out. And so very, very kind.

Melissa Fry is ONE-OF-A-KIND. This girl is the life of the party in our newsroom and when we are out having fun together. You can turn to her for anything–an ear to listen, a caring friend, a person who will always make you laugh. She is as down to earth as they come, despite the fact she could model in New York or LA.. she’s that gorgeous.

Here’s what you may not know about Melissa–she is one of the HARDEST WORKING PEOPLE I know. She was an intern here at KETV just like me, and applied here 8 different times before she was hired. She was DETERMINED to work hard and keep trying to return to her hometown. That drive and passion earned Melissa a spot in our 5pm newscast–in addition to reporting everyday and landing some of the biggest interviews in Omaha news. She’ll come in early to shoot an interview. She’ll stay late. She’s worked just about every shift we have here at KETV. And through it all, SHE NEVER, EVER COMPLAINS. This is the kind of work ethic you want your kids to have. She’s the kind of coworker you want on your team. She’s the friend you want in your corner. I’m so lucky I’ve got her in mine 🙂

Jeremy Maskel

Melissa and Jeremy sit in the same corner of our newsroom. Maybe that’s it.. an aura of AWESOME that circles that area.. because Jeremy is also in a whole different league when it comes to genuinely amazing people.

This guy goes out of his way to be nice to people. And he truly means it!! My son used to LOVE watching Jeremy on weekend mornings (before Team Umi-Zoomi and Paw Patrol beat him out..) and I truly think it was because he emits this positive energy that is just contagious. I wish we could bottle it and sell it as a perfume or something just to make everyone a little happier in the world.

Jeremy makes me want to be a better person. THAT is one of the qualities I hope my kiddos pick up on.. what a positive impact you can have on others when you smile, treat people kindly, and truly care.

And did I mention that he’s one of the best reporters we have here at KETV? Brilliant out in the field, an incredible writer, a true team player. Jeremy was just promoted to our weekend evening anchor position, and I couldn’t be happier for him–AWESOME.

I could go on and on about our people here at KETV..

Directors Tom Rock and Matt Brown

Photojournalist Dave Hynek

Our sports team, Andy Kendeigh and Thor Tripp

They’re just awesome people to be around. They make our team better. They make you want to run faster and jump higher, just like Mike.

Why am I telling you all this? Why did I devote an entire blog post to KETV shout-outs?

Because Thursday I got my first snarky message from a viewer since I returned from maternity leave. I’ve certainly received them before, and I’ll absolutely receive them again. Still, it stings-even if for just a second. And that stinks–that you can be surrounded by so much good, and yet it’s the bad that seems to reverberate. So this blog is just as much for me as it is for my readers (and THANK YOU for reading, by the way!!)

A reminder to all of us.. we are surrounded by ‘Mikes’. And I’m so thankful for that.

***