I had been following THIS TRAGIC STORY about Debbie Shank over the last day or so and it just broke my heart. When I finally read the most recent update - that her son had been killed in Iraq just days after Walmart won the lawsuit against them, I cried while I was reading the article.
JACKSON, Missouri (CNN) -- Debbie Shank breaks down in tears every time she's told that her 18-year-old son, Jeremy, was killed in Iraq.
The 52-year-old mother of three attended her son's funeral, but she continues to ask how he's doing. When her family reminds her that he's dead, she weeps as if hearing the news for the first time.
Shank suffered severe brain damage after a traffic accident nearly eight years ago that robbed her of much of her short-term memory and left her in a wheelchair and living in a nursing home.
It was the beginning of a series of battles -- both personal and legal -- that loomed for Shank and her family. One of their biggest was with Wal-Mart's health plan.
Here's Keith Olbermann's story on it, ranking Walmart as today's "Worst Person in the World."
I got this overwhelming urge to try and contact her husband to find out what we can all do to help. Amazingly enough, I was successful!
Jim Shank is one of the sweetest men you will ever talk to. He was so kind to this crazy woman calling from Alaska even as I fumbled around for the right things to say...including rather ineptly expressing my sorrow at the loss of his son. I was finally able to form the right question - did they have a bank account set up for people to deposit donations?
I was VERY happy to find out that the answer was "Yes."
Jim Shank said that all anyone needs to do is walk into any "Bank of America" and say that they want to donate to "The Debbie Shank Fund." If your particular branch doesn't know about it, tell them they need to contact one of the branches in Jackson, Missouri to get the information.
I took down some contact info to pass on to one of our local radio talk show hosts and thanked him so much for talking to me. He thanked me repeatedly, telling me that the outpouring from people really helped him. Mr. Shank touched me so much with his gratitude that I started balling when I hung up, startling one of my daycare kids. The fact that a man who has been through so much can be so gracious to some unknown crazy lady calling him at night says a lot about his character.
I forgot to ask him for his email address. As soon as I get it (and if I get his permission), I'll pass it on so others can send him messages of hope.