The Heart

Neighbors First isn't abstract for me. It's a lived expression of a promise to my mom.
 

In early January of 2002, my mother, Helen T. Brooks, was diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer. She had less than one month to live. She had spent 30 years as a public school English teacher and was about to retire and finally enjoy time with her family and friends. That future was stolen from her.
 

I remember the morning after the doctor confirmed our worst fears. I was sitting on the couch in stunned silence by myself. Then, my came into the family room and sat beside me, looked into my eyes with fear in hers and said, her voice cracking:
 

"Michael, I don't want to die."
 

There was nothing I could do. Even my love couldn't save her.
 

In her final days, sitting beside her hospice bed, I told her I was leaving the tech industry to work in mental health - to help people directly. She squeezed my hand and whispered her last wish for me:
 

"Good… do some good."
 

Years earlier, my mother had written a tribute to Christa McAuliffe, the teacher who died in the Challenger disaster that was published in our city newspaper. She kept Christa's photo on her classroom wall. Every morning, she would look at it and say:
 

"OK, Christa. I'll do my best. I'll try one more day. This one's for you."
 

Now I do the same for her.
 

My mother asked me to do some good. Over time, that promise became the Neighbors First Pledge - a way to honor what she asked of me, and to invite others to join.
 

I've made my choice. How about you, neighbor?
 

This one's for you, Mom.

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[Photos: My mom's tribute to Christa McAuliffe in the Houston Post | Me, wearing the same shirt, 22 years later - I ran the 2004 Boston Marathon for PanCAN (Pancreatic Cancer Action Network) in her memory. The promise continues.]