A Caring Friend

Hero: Ms. Doris Jackson
By: Pearle Lacher, Plantation, FL

I nominate Ms. Doris Jackson, a longtime friend who is actively involved in a number of social and humanitarian causes. 

Doris is an active member of FINCA a group that provides financial service to the world's lowest income entrepreneurs so they can create jobs, build assets and improve their standards of living. FINCA ‘s motto, 'small loans-big changes' has helped women especially become self sufficient  around the globe.

Ms. Jackson is one of those unique individuals, who choose not to just live her own life, but to become a meaningful voice in other mission driven projects such as: Artists with Mental Disabilities, the  American Indian Educational program, American Civil Liberties Union, and Journalists Without Borders groups and the American Red Cross. 

If that were not enough of a humanitarian case load, Doris quietly became another friend, Cynthia's, care taker. About seven years ago, when Cynthia was diagnosed with Stage Two Alzheimer's, Doris began to care for Cynthia. There are a few relatives of Cynthia who live in the greater Detroit Michigan area, but none would or could assume the caretaker role. So, Doris didn't blink an eye. she just quietly took on that demanding caretaker role. At the time, Doris continued in a financial services fulltime job, launched another business, had a full plate with her various charitable causes, mentioned earlier...but none of that mattered.  She simply knew it was the right thing to do:  she would become Cynthia's guardian, her friend, and at no fee or other reimbursement.  It was the supreme act of love, of friendship and heroic.

Single-handedly, Doris got Cynthia into a major research program for treatment and understanding of the Alzheimer's disease.  Doris also manages Cynthia's household, pays her bills and secures round the clock nurses aide care. Doris has the best among what a friend would do. Her commitment is deep and this exhausting act of extreme kindness for another seriously ill friend has prompted me to nominate Doris Jackson, the quintessential heroine in Life.