Heartbreak can bring hope

My first “real” job, at the age of 21, was with the Ottawa Business Journal. Fresh out of school, I was immediately launched into the serious world of reporting on business and politics. The weekly paper had been around for a few years and the staff were young and innovative.

It was an exciting time. I was learning on the job, pumping out several stories a week for the print edition. We were also just getting started with that whole Internet thing. In fact, Google was still a curiosity, and had yet to become an involuntary impulse, a verb. So in addition to putting out a print newspaper, this young team and I embarked on putting the OBJ on the Web, under the capable supervision of Mark Sutcliffe and Michael Curran. 

We broke stories and won awards and capitalized on Ottawa’s status as Canada’s tech capital and Silicon Valley North. It was a good time. I will remain forever touched and shaped by both Mark and Michael’s kindness and patience with me as I gained experience as a young reporter. 

I write about this because I have been reminded of this time by tragic, horrific circumstances. 

OBJ Publisher Michael Curran’s 20-year-old son Emerson was recently killed while working in the Yukon for the summer. The philosophy student was at a party and a confrontation turned deadly. At the link above, you can read Michael’s heart-wrenching account of losing his first-born son (there are three other siblings) and making the decision to donate his organs. 

It is a simple, beautiful piece that must have taken so much courage to write. I commend the Curran family for their bravery and willingness to set an example during a time when they could have retreated from the world. The pain they must feel is unimaginable and must be unbearable, yet they chose to speak to their community. This is leadership and love in action.