Burned by the Sun

 My freshman year of high school I had a shunt malfunction which resulted in a five week stay at Children’s Hospital in Boston. It was not all bad though as during that time I was visited by New England Patriots linebacker, Adalius Thomas who had a few journalists in toe. I got an autographed football, a great conversation and later on, a newspaper article out of it. In the article it talks about Adalius’s experience playing with the Baltimore Ravens and then going to become a member of the Patriots. Prior to the move, his wife who is a schoolteacher orchestrated this great send off for him with all the kids at her school in the gym. She said it was one of the few times in his life she saw him get emotional. It was at this point in the article that the journalist shifts from the roaring, cheering thunderous applause of a packed gymnasium to talk about Adalius’s visit to the hospital. The way the writer achieved this transition was with a juxtaposition and the phrase “However, no one came to visit fifteen-year-old Pelham native, Mark Woonton, who was in Boston Children’s Hospital for brain surgery.” Now, I am totally over it, I don’t care, and it doesn’t matter (which is why I feel the need to bring it up 16 years later.) I am sure we have all received a less than favorable review at work, a hateful voicemail, disparaging text message or a fortune cookie message that didn't make sense. However, if an employed journalist has never come to your hospital bedside and then put into print and circulation the inference that you were some no friend having, sudoku strewn about your tray table, chocolate pudding stains on your johnny loser, for all of the readers of the Lowell Sun sports section to see you should count your blessings because we are not all so lucky.