By Rena Dictor LeBlanc

We all know what fictional superheroes do.

They arrive in the nick of time to SAVE THE DAY.

Rescued

That's pretty much my idea of what real life "superheroes" do as well.

Years ago I was rescued by a brigade of them when my husband was dying of cancer. We were in dire need of money because he was unable to work, and I had to cut way back on my job as a freelance journalist because I was caring for him. That's when my own version of "superheroes", The American Society Of Journalists And Authors (ASJA), came through for us with a grant of $3,500 from its Writers Emergency Assistance Fund. I've been a member of this wonderful organization for more than twenty years.

Seeking Help

The Fund provides grants for established professional writers facing hardship due to illness, disability, natural disaster, advanced age, or an extraordinary professional crisis.

Yesterday I received an email from the ASJA seeking help for a journalist named Lori Hall Steele who is in desperate straits. The single mother has been a highly successful writer. She wrote more than 3,000 articles for publications throughout the USA. But severe medical disabilities have left her unable to work. Her medical bills total more than $50,000. And they may reach $120,000.

It was in September 2007 that Lori mysteriously lost the ability to move her feet. The paralysis later spread to her legs and arms. She is battling ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) and Lyme Diseas. Lori is confined to a hospital bed and is dependent upon a breathing machine.

"Superheroes"

The Fund sent her its maximum grant of $5,000. But it wasn't anywhere near enough. Lori has been the sole support of her seven-year-old son Jackson. They are just days away from losing their home to foreclosure in Traverse City, MI.

This blog is my clarion call for you "superheroes" out there to give Lori and Jackson a second chance by sending contributions to her.

In an essay that was published on washingtonpost.com when Jackson was four-years-old, Lori wrote in part...

Impossible Promise

"...he (Jackson) will learn the whole truth in time; he will learn that life is as capricious as it is constant...I tell him I'll always be here for him, one way or another. Always always always...It is an impossible promise, a gamble with his trust. I secretly pray I don't let him down, not on this..."

Nick Of Time

Will Lori and Jackson lose their home to foreclosure? Not if enough caring strangers transform themselves into "superheroes" and come to the rescue in the nick of time. .

Donate

To donate to Lori go to http://www.hallsteele.blogspot.com/ and click on the donate button linking to a PayPal account.

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