Hug and a Prayer for Jackie R
My fellow OAC blogger, Jackie R, is in the hospital. She is the most ardent and loyal JRE supporter who attends nearly every OAC related event. (photo recrop credit: OneVoice, but original photo is by Jackie R)Here's the skinny as we know it about Jackie, as told by Nan on the OAC blog:
After Jackie left Elizabeth's [Edwards]book signing in Des Moines yesterday, October 18, she fell on the library stairs, fracturing her knee and her wrist. Jackie was taken by ambulance to the Lutheran Hospital in Des Moines where she will undergo surgery on her wrist next Tuesday. At this point, she, her family and physicians are discussing whether or not she will have surgery on her fractured knee.Whatever the outcome of that decision, Jackie faces a long and protracted recovery period. As of this evening, her son Mike was at her home caring for Hotshot, her little dog who is her best buddy. In addition, Jackie has been providing after school care for her grandson, which she will be unable to do for an indefinte period of time until she is recovered enough to entertain a grade school boy.
One of Elizabeth's assistants had called Jackie a couple of days before to invite Jackie to help out with the event. I guess she wasn't given an exact time when to get there and her spot to hand out Elizabeth a book to sign was taken about other OAC volunteers, so perhaps she handed out literature of sorts. Not certain what happened there, but I do know he and the others who stayed with Elizabeth until nearly 6 that evening didn't know anything about Jackie's misfortune until Nan posted on the OAC blog. In a separate communication with me as I made an inquiry, he was kind enough to ask where Jackie was hospitalized.
Elizabeth is right when talking about online communities. They can be a source of strength in times of need. I am missing Jackie as I am so accustomed to hearing from her daily, always ending her messages with "hugs". To a certain extent, the Web community keeps my spirits buoyed a bit, knowing so many care for Jackie both at OAC and JREG.
Glad that JRE08 at the OAC blog, despite her feelings towards Jackie (she often attacked Jackie and others last year and earlier this year), was good enough to include Jackie in her diary plog of JRE and Elizabeth. But to clarify for JRE08, who said someone complained about no pics of Jackie at Elizabeth's signing, it was more that no one in a previous diary about the signing event mentioned they saw Jackie; it was not about pictures.
I find it interesting that other than JRE08 and Linda in Iowa, "Get well, Jackie" or "I'm sorry" for another fellow Iowan who is big time supporter.
The flower to the right, courtesy of e-reference, is Prairie Rose, State Flower of Iowa. Very much like Jackie, lovely and non-assuming.Jackie deserves much respect. She's the salt of Dem Iowans. She is in my prayers.
Get well, girlfriend. Hugs.
Tags: Jackie R, Elizabeth Edwards, One America Committee, JREGrassroots, Benny's World
posted by benny06 at
Friday, October 20, 2006
5 Comments:
This blog entry was forwarded to me, and I'd like to take a moment to clarify a couple of things, just for the record. The other OAC bloggers that assisted with the Elizabeth Edwards book signing were contacted and invited to do so by John Davis. When contacted, we were given a time to be there, and we were there as instructed for training. NO ONE in our group "took" anyone's position in volunteering. We were actually assigned our duties by George who was in charge of the volunteers at the event.
The other clarification I would offer, is that a couple of us were away from the blog after Wednesday's evemt, as we were attending a conference in Minnesota together. News of Jackie's accident & injuries awaited us when we returned home and we responded with well wishes immediately.
I am not sure why this situation has been misconstrued and ended up as an attack on other "ardent and loyal" supporters of John & Elizabeth Edwards, but it is totally unfounded.
And before any throw the first stone regarding attacking others on the blog ... it would be wise to examine your own behavior in that regard, because there aren't very many who posted to the OAC diary for Jackie that have not also thrown accusations and attacks in the directions of others.
By
JREforMe2008, at 10:20 AM
Thanks for the comment. However, that is not exactly the way Jackie remembered it, and even though she is in the hospital, she has a pretty good recollection that is different from your account.
As this is my blog, I chose to make the comment here and not on OAC as I can state my disappointment here without being edited. I stand by my comments because I have witnessed on OAC as the personal attacks you and others have made against her and against those who associate with her as friends or fellow supporters, such as myself. I do think you regret to see what happened to her, now that you know.
My understanding, and I have no reason to disbelieve it based on the comments I've seen on OAC, is the head volunteer was icy in attitude and was unhelpful in giving Jackie some directions in assisting in the event in which she was also personally invited by OAC to help with is another matter. It was not her fault that she was given a different time to show up in advance. She was told by George that your group would fill her in on the details, in which she got almost none, and she did what she could under the circumstances.
However, the point of this post is that instead of all of us bickering, all Iowans should pull together for the good of OAC and not for self-aggrandizement or to obtain extra attention to yourselves. That is not the One America vision; it's about "we" and not me, but instead it's constant drum beat of "I did, I did, I did" and "wow, aren't I great, I got to hang out the famous such and such politician", instead of reporting anything of substance. On personal blogs, you can say all you want, but on the collective OAC, I expect it be more about the Edwards and what they are doing, not just what you are doing. So if you want to do the "I did" post, create your own blog.
Meantime, I would suggest you try to be inclusive in at least mentioning that Jackie was there as a volunteer as well, for the good of all, in the future. You all made it a very uncomfortable experience for her, and it's worse now that she is in the hospital for a lengthy time, with no access to the Internet and to continue blogging with us.
But to end on a more hopeful note, the best you can do is to pray for Jackie's recovery after a horrific fall. I'm certain the Edwards are praying her recovery.
By
benny06, at 11:53 AM
Your complaints against this group of Edwards supporters here work both ways. We too have been treated inappropriately and NOT mentioned in blog and diary entries by your group of supporters. We have been totally ignored at events (even though we've tried to say "hello" and at least be cordial) at events. This situation is NOT the one-way street you portray it to be. We have all attended many events together and not been mentioned in the respective entries afterwards.
Whether you choose to believe it or not, Barb Miller, one of our group participants, took time to fill Jackie in on the details of the event and how the line-up was to be set up after the reading & question-answer session in another part of the library. By the time Jackie arrived, many of the responsibilities, like the microphone handling, etc. had already been assigned by George just pointing at each of us and telling us what our responsibility was, and it was time to man the doors for entry into the reading & book signing.
Jackie was not innocent in the surrounding attitude of the day either. She was not very friendly toward any of us and seemed very angry when she first saw all of us there. Then she left early, not even giving herself the chance to part of the book signing for the remaining
2 1/2 hours.
Somehow, it appeared that her subsequent fall and injury were the fault of those of us who were there volunteering, and that we were rotten people because she got hurt and we didn't attend to her. We were ALL totally unaware of any misfortune and injury to Jackie until the diary was posted (some of us later because we were out of town).
Marcia was even kind enough to share one of our "Team Edwards" pins with her and we were at least "cordial" to her despite the way we have all been treated by you, Jackie and others on the OAC blog.
I know that these two groups of volunteers and John Edwards supporters do not get along and I think we can agree that none of us have a real desire to form long-lasting friendships with members of the other. It would be nice if we could all at least try to be civil and cordial to one another. I know the group I'm a part of is trying.
By
JREforMe2008, at 11:54 AM
Actually, Jackie said that Barb was OK to her. But I can see if Jackie was disappointed that George didn't have anything specific in mind when she saw him. Elizabeth assistant had suggested a different duty, but ultimately, it was George who was supposed to coordinate. Jackie didn't have the understanding that it would someone else in your group.
No one, including me, or Jackie, whom I have spoken with on the phone, does not correlate the uncomfortable atmosphere of the signing event to her accident. I'm glad you said it here and not on OAC. That would be clipped automatically by the good mods. While I could clip it, I'm letting stand here so that BW readers can see it.
I'll put you on my prayer list too, just as I do many Republicans I disagree with or have made some spin with that kind of commentary.
By
benny06, at 12:27 PM
I'll too will continue to pray over this situation, as I have for some time!
By
JREforMe2008, at 12:44 PM
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