Jack Strickland is a retired AP writer who is active in the war against cancer. He, himself, is a survivor.
As a reporter he covered many of the major stories in Florida.
He lives in Gainesville where he is an advocate for cancer patients of all ages. Jack finds special joy in getting
sports stars and teams involved in the care young cancer victims. He claims that the athletes benefit from the involvement
as much as the patients. He says he managed to miss many tackles as a football player long ago, and learned that defeat can be
temporary and serve as the foundation for success.
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• Nothing as beautiful as a Jewish wedding - Vivi and Dave gave their vows as prosaic columnist kept a close watch on shaky dad ...
• God must have some special purpose for you, the doctors marveled - Modern medicine couldn't explain this victory over terminal Merkle Cell Carcinoma...
• Doors have not clanked shut on privatization; Glades may be next - Governor, power brokers may take a "one by one" approach. Meanwhile, an assortment of officials have gone to jail. ...
• Gator gymnastics team cheers cancer patients at Hope Lodge, will ‘pink-out’ for cancer tonight - Lending courage to all, the coach and team are champs in sports and champs in life, with fund-raiser tonight. ...
• Cinderella will wait for her brave young prince to return from war in Afghanistan - Dreams put on hold as young couple lives a Cinderella fairy tale ...
• How I got an education during night in emergency room - Special bonds made; families in distress often suffer outside and alone ...
• The children with cancer are so innocent and so helpless - A view from inside the hospital shows that life on the edge creates new heroes ...
• I learned a lifelong Bible lesson of charity on a city bus - People often surprise you when you least expect or deserve it. ...
• How UF’s Don Gaffney broke quarterback color barrier, Auburn jinx – as Auburn comes to play again - First black quarterback in SEC met his big test on the field in 1973 when he started Auburn game, but his "best performance" may have been a speech. ...
• Ray Shaw’s life was a living textbook on how to help others in need - Ray Shaw seemed surprised when they named him an "earth angel" but his life served to teach others how to help people in need. ...
• Cancer victim’s courage inspires special sunset ceremony on Florida beach - In warm memory, daughter, son-in-law renew wedding vows on the beach where ashes of parents were scattered. ...
• They left hospital for the last time, in a red sports car - A sweet romantic interlude, a Corvette, and the battle against cancer are described by columnist Jack Strickland who watches a couple leave Shands Hospital. ...
• Explosive Gator stars Grossman, Gaffney reunite; they could march Redskins back to Super Bowl - Fun-and-gun offense Gator greats Jabar Gaffney and Rex Grossman are together again. The Washington Redskins have signed the dynamic duo. A decade ago the quarterback and wide receiver captured the imagination of the entire nation....
• “Bouncing Betty” and a story of wounded Vietnam vet’s life-changing friendship - Legs mangled, veteran Bill showed compassion and found help for debilitating pain from a landmine in Viet Nam. ...
• End of world is around corner, authorities predict - While the demise of Earth is predicted, many people seem to be skeptical. ...
• Gore tells victim’s parents he has become different person; his death takes 19 minutes at Raiford - Remorseful killer David Alan Gore, strapped to gurney, was dead in 19 minutes after lethal injection. ...
• Bragging about what you’ve done can get you to the death chamber quite a bit faster - Prisoner set for execution April 12 could have learned a lot from Charles Profitt....
• FAMU professors patent new medication for schizophrenia - African-Americans suffer three times rate of schizophrenia says recent research ...
• Murder comes without any warning as rage can build in state’s prisons - Any prisoner can become dangerous and there are ways to make deadly weapons and time to do it. ...
• Many innocent may languish in prison on corrupt testimony, legislative payment shows - Dillon case, Pitts and Lee demonstrate that justice is sometimes difficult to come by in Florida...
• Clues to a murder: forensic botanist finds the little things in death - David Hall helps law enforcement trap the bad guys with botanical clues...
• Honduras jail fire recalls horrific Florida prison blaze where 38 perished amid lingering questions - A scene of racial fights, the Florida road prison in Jay exploded into fire in 1967, leaving truth yet to be fully told. ...
• Waterhouse executed proclaiming innocence - Convicted murderer Robert Waterhouse, 65, died by lethal injection at the Florida State Prison in Starke, with unsettling words....
• Florida Senate kisses an emotional goodbye to prison privatization - Public prisons get a valentine as senate proposal fails in a 19-21 vote; meanwhile, execution slated today...
• Group alleges more financial links to privatization; vote could be today - A watchdog group alleges that privatization backers have financial links the effort ...
• Florida A&M Rattlers have played in 25 of the 46 Super Bowls - Dallas star Bob Hayes won a Super Bowl ring and an Olympic gold medal. ...
• Freedom rider rabbi remembers his arrest in Tallahassee airport 50 years ago - Ministers eventually served sentence, worked as road crew before release from jail ...
• Second Harvest signature soups will help fight child hunger on Wednesday at Capitol - One in six people locally struggle for enough to eat ...
• Cancer patient slips away from hospital to give stranded bus riders a last Christmas gift - In his battle with cancer, he relied on city buses . . . and now he had a plan to help people who didn't know the buses were down for the day. ...
How I got an education during night in emergency room
January 30, 2012Gainesville
You learn a lot hanging around hospitals.
I was at the emergency room most of last night assisting a friend who was transported here with a heart attack. The waiting area was full. More than three dozen sick or injured people awaited diagnosis, treatment and/or hospitalization. We were told there were only five available hospital beds in the entire huge hospital.
Many of the most seriously ill or injured, who were admitted, had to wait for discharges, this morning, to get a room and bed. The staff told me this is a gauntlet they run every night at the ER as they struggle to meet the medical needs of North Florida and South Georgia.
You develop a special bond with people when you share a medical emergency. Among those with us awaiting medical attention in the emergency room, last night, was a thirty-year-veteran and current employee of the Sheriff’s Office and a wde receiver on this year’s Florida Gator football team. As we waited for medical care, we shared all of our secrets as we bared our souls and helped shoulder each other’s burdens.
I learned a lot.
Coach Muschamp has closed Gator football practices and put a lid on information for public consumption coming out of the football program. Last night the shared suffering in the ER created a bond that trumped that restriction. I was not “public.” I was a brother, a partner, and a teammate. We talked about it all. Let me know what questions you have about Gator football!
And, secrets of the Sheriff’s Office. . . Wow!
But, I not going to tell those. Those good folks have arrest powers and don’t care much for journalists, as it is.
My friend got a room about 2:30 a.m. As I returned home to my apartment next to the hospital complex I noticed an unfamiliar vehicle in our parking lot. It was a “work truck” parked prominently, for safety, under a street light. In the back a man was sleeping. I didn’t disturb him.
I was awakened by a pre-dawn thunder storm. I looked out the window to see if the truck was still there. It was. The occupant was scurrying around trying to get his bedding into the cab of the truck and out of the rain. I invited him to come in and join me for breakfast.
I learned that he has a teenage daughter in intensive care at the hospital next door. She was injured in a water skiing boating accident last weekend. She was air-lifted to the hospital Trauma Center. He can not stay with her in the hospital at night. He was chased out before midnight and not allowed to sleep in the chairs in the lobby or waiting rooms.
The hospital provided him with a list of agencies and churches who could help him meet his lodging needs. He called them all. None had any funds or assistance available for him.
He was sleeping in the open truck bed so he could remain close by and able to return immediately to his daughter’s bedside if emergency calls from the hospital alerted him that her condition had worsened.
We were able to get him a first class room at a nearby motel that offered a “hospital discount.” The $90 room was made available for $32. He can stay there through Thursday. The hotel is booked full after that for the Gator Orange & Blue weekend.
When his daughter is out of intensive care and in a regular hospital room, both he and his wife can stay with her in her room. I hope her condition improves and allows that to happen before Friday.
I found this is not an unusual situation. Family members frequently sleep in their cars – or where ever they can – while here attending to the needs of patients at large hospitals. Getting food can also be a real problem for them.
We need to establish a foundation to meet the needs of people who are struggling to survive while dealing with a medical crisis.
There was a time when I was really smart and knew just about everything.
That was long ago and far away. Fighting cancer has made me aware of how ignorant I have been.
But, I am getting smarter every day. My hospital education trumps everything I ever learned in school.