One of the most touching moments of the 2012 Republican National Convention came from an older couple who valiantly came onto the stage to tell their heartbreaking story of a dying child, their child and the kindness, the goodness and support that Mitt Romney offered not just them, but their baby boy, David.
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Pat Oparowski talks about the loving friendship Mitt Romney developed with her dying son David, remembering "David, knowing Mitt had gone to law school at Harvard, asked Mitt if he would help him write a will. He had some prize possessions that he wanted to make sure were given to his closest friends and family. The next time Mitt went to the hospital, he was equipped with his yellow legal pad and pen. Together, they made David’s will. That is a task that no child should ever have to do. But it gave David peace of mind. So after David’s death, we were able to give his skateboard, his model rockets, and his fishing gear to his best friends. He also made it clear that his brother Peter should get his Ruger .22 rifle. How many men do you know who would take the time out of their busy lives to visit a terminally ill 14 year old and help him settle his affairs?”
David also helped us plan his funeral. He wanted to be buried in his Boy Scout uniform. He wanted Mitt to pronounce his eulogy, and Mitt was there to honor that request. We will be ever grateful to Mitt for his love and concern."
Ted Oparowski summed it up nicely when he said "You cannot measure a man’s character based on the words he utters before adoring crowds during times that are happy. The true measure of a man is revealed in his actions during times of trouble — the quiet hospital room of a dying boy, with no cameras and no reporters."
These are the life experiences and stories that Mitt Romney doesn't personally talk about, yet they are a tribute to Romney's kindness behind the scenes when there was no political gain to be had from it.
This couple did not have to come forward in front of thousands of attendees or millions of television viewers. They did not have to reopen that wound which will truly never heal.
Like the rest of America though, they have seen and heard Romney critics and opponents portray him as a heartless businessman, claiming his wealth disconnects him from people like the Oparowski's, yet a man, Romney, who walks into a dying 14 year old's hospital room with a yellow legal pad to help him write out his will, sure doesn't sound like a man disconnected.
I supported others against Romney in the GOP primaries although I always said any of those candidates would do a better job than Barack Obama.
The Republican Convention gave me the one thing I didn't have before the convention and that was a look into the man behind the politician.
After seeing the personal stories, the tributes and especially the heart and soul of Romney that these two still-grieving parents described, I do not support him just because he is the GOP candidate that won the nomination, but now I support him because in a time of tragedy, in a time of uncertainty, in a time of hopelessness, Romney is the man I would want as a friend and a neighbor.
The country already knew Mitt Romney was a businessman who understood the challenges that face America and has the capabilities to address those challenges, but now the country has been shown the heart, the soul and the empathy behind that business persona.
[Update] The Oparowski's weren't the only parents describing the heart, soul and kindness of Mitt and Ann Romney.
Watch Pam Finlayson as she shares her family's tragedy and how the Romney's were there for her as well.