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Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Hamilton Jordan inspired us all
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Much has been written about the courageous life of Hamilton Jordan, chief of staff for President Jimmy Carter.
But what can not be repeated often enough is how Jordan transformed his personal struggles with cancer to a national cause with a deeply personal touch.
On an individual basis, Jordan provided hope to others stricken with the disease. He urged people to take charge of their own medical condition through self-education and search for the best possible care.
And on a global level, his book: “No Such Thing As A Bad Day” gave people a road map on how to cope with a life-threatening illness. It has been a book I’ve given friends on several occasions as a way to help them continue their own fights.
The last time I saw Jordan was when he spoke to the Atlanta Press Club in March. It was if we all knew, Jordan included, that this would be his last public address.
He spoke of Corey Grier, one of the children stricken with cancer who attended Camp Sunshine. Grier willed himself to nearly a year longer than expected so he could say good-bye to his friends at Camp Sunshine. Jordan told those at the press club lunch that Grier had showed him “the power of the human spirit to extend life.”
Jordan took that lesson to heart and became a teacher in his own right. “I’ve had six different cancers that I’ve battled over the last 20 years,” Jordan told the group. Later he added that when he started to get down, he would think of Corey Grier and “not let this disease dominate or define who I was.”
The last two years were especially tough with eight surgeries and 150 nights in the hospital. I asked him how we was able to keep the faith he wrote about in his book, “No Such Thing As A Bad Day.”
“There is such as thing as bad years,” Jordan answered. “I have not done as well as you think I have.”
At another moment, Jordan said: “I’ve learned a lot about myself. I’ve been to the edge of life. I’ve had to face my own mortality. I’ve been depressed. I’ve been scared at times. But I’m here to tell you, I’m not through yet.”
It was clear that Jordan wasn’t through when he spoke about cancer research and about presidential politics.
“For the first time in 35 years, funding for cancer research is going down,” Jordan said. “We have spent more money in six months than we have spent on cancer for 35 years.”
And when he spoke of Barack Obama, the fire in the belly burned bright. Jordan already had endorsed Obama and urged the Illinois senator to pick former U.S. Sen. Sam Nunn (D-Georgia) as his running mate. Nunn, who was in the room that day, remained coy about whether he would join an Obama ticket.
I had believed that Jordan would have willed himself to live to November to see the outcome of the election, or at least through the Democratic convention.
Perhaps he had been fighting too long. And perhaps, all he really wanted was to live to see the Kentucky and Oregon primaries, that occurred the same day he died. It was on that day that Obama essentially became unstoppable in his quest to be the Democratic nominee for president.
May Hamilton Jordan’s spirit continue to inspire us all.
