By Hollis Wormsby Jr.
On January 27, the Tarrant City Fire Department responded to a blaze on Woodrow Drive in Tarrant. One of the responders was Lt. Jerry Pressley, who fell and sustained serious, if not, life threatening injuries. Pressley is one of the good guys; a husband and father in addition to someone who committed to a life of service as a First Responder. Fortunately, he is also surrounded by a loving and caring family.
He has an older son who changed his work schedule to four 10-hour shifts, so he could come home to Birmingham for long weekends to help. He has a son attending Murray State University on a football scholarship, who has been taking classes online so that he can stay home and help as well.
Pressley suffered significant spinal and brain injuries that will require extensive and expensive medical support for the foreseeable future. I have seen comments about why would someone with health insurance need a Go Fund Me drive? And once I get past my anger at their insensitivity, I realize that maybe some people do not realize just how expensive a situation like the one Pressley faces can be. Maybe some of you have been so blessed that you have never experienced the incredible costs caring for a family member with a significant injury not covered by insurance.
Perhaps the folks questioning the need for a Go Fund Me Account have never had to endure the cost of providing temporary housing to be able to stay closer to a loved one in distress or aware of the amount of co-pays and treatments not covered that can go into this kind of recovery.
Please remember that Pressley was serving as a First Responder when this tragic incident took place. Remember the relief you may have felt at some time in your life when someone you cared for was in distress and their life was in danger.
I ask that you join me in making a small donation to the Go Fund Me Account set up for Lt. Jerry Pressley. Unfortunately, I could not figure out how to create a link to his Go Fund Me Page, but you can get there by going to www.GoFundMe.com and then searching for Lt. Jerry Pressley. So try to make a small difference in the life of Pressley and his family today. You may get more than you expect in return. Or at least that’s the way I see it.
(Hollis Wormsby has served as a featured columnist for the Birmingham Times for more than 29 years. He is the former host of Talkback on 98.7 KISS FM and of Real Talk on WAGG AM. If you would like to comment on this column you can email him at hjwormsby@aol.com)
