Back in June, I wrote about a 24-year-old single mom named Betsy Betancourt who feared she’d have to drop out of nursing school in order to raise the teenage children of her sister, who died unexpectedly of a catastrophic infection.
Response to the column was compassionate and overwhelming, though not without some measured words for the decisions Betsy’s sister had made while alive that were now impacting Betsy in such a tough way.
One of the coolest responses to Betsy’s plight came from the producers of NASCAR Angels, a do-gooder reality-TV show that focuses on Good Samaritans in need of car rehab. Here’s the column I wrote about that
And – ta da! – here’s the show that resulted, which is now airing around the country (it has a has a brief, short ad up front). It also contains some brief footage of Yours Truly, where you’ll see that my hair needed combing that day. Other than that, it’s a great piece about a lovely young woman.
Go, Betsy! And thank you, NASCAR Angels, forbringing Christmas a little early to Betsy and her family.
When my phone rings here at the Daily News, nine times out of ten the caller begins the conversation with, “Yeah, so what happened was…”.
Because this is Philly, the caller doesn’t say, “My name is Bob” – or Mary – “and I wonder if I could have a moment of your time?” Philadelphians are too direct for that. They just say, “Yeah, so what happened was…”, and then tumble into a tale they think oughta be shared with a wider audience. I love getting these calls (even the ones where it becomes clear, after 30 seconds, where the caller sowed the seeds of his own misery), because they give me chance to connect with fellow citizens in a way that no other job allows. Well, okay, no other job for which I’m remotely qualified.
That’s why my blog is titled “So What Happened Was…”. To me, it’s the quintessentially Philly way of saying, “Once upon a time.” When I hear it, I know a good story is coming. And I can’t wait to see how it turns out.
Ronnie Polaneczky has been an award-winning columnist for The Philadelphia Daily News since 1999, offering a front-steps perspective on every aspect of city life, from the sublime to the stupid. In her past life, she was the editor-in-chief of Atlantic City Magazine, associate editor at Philadelphia Magazine and a fulltime freelancer published in Ladies Home Journal, Good Housekeeping, Redbook, Reader's Digest, Men's Health, MarieClaire and others. She lives with her husband, daughter and various pets in the city's Fairmount section, where she dreams of one day singing The National Anthem at an Eagles game. In addition to her column and blog, you can enjoy Ronnie's musings in podcast form here.
Read more from Ronnie Polaneczky at Earth to Philly, the Daily News blog on anything and everything "Green
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