Brandon's Blog: The Consummate Team Player

by Larry Miller

Brandon's Blog: The Consummate Team Player
… related charities and funding of the Siskin Hospital for Physical Rehabilitation were his family's major focus, but his varied activity among many charitable organizations led to Merv and Helen being honored as the top philanthropists in … Read more on MGoBlue

Decorating the Christmas tree for a cause
The services, in addition to the Ronald McDonald Family Room on the third floor of the Children's Hospital at Erlanger, are open to immediate family members of patients at Erlanger Medical Center, Siskin Hospital for Physical Rehabilitation and the … Read more on Nooga.com

Former High School Baseball Star – by John Madewell Determination and dedication drive Talon Harris. The 18-year-old former Soddy Daisy baseball star hopes to one day step back onto the field.Harris knows he’s lucky to be alive. Back in March, he crashed his truck into a tree. He wasn’t wearing a seat belt. The impact shattered several bones and left him with a serious brain injury, a portion of the damage to his frontal lobe.Five days a week he comes to the high school’s baseball fieldhouse. Assistant Coach Jamie Tricoglou loosens him up with a series of stretches, especially his right arm. The crash and his brain injury left his arm clutched closer to his side.After the stretching, they go through a series of drills. Tricoglou instructs Harris to extend his arm, hold the ball up above his head, and finish through the throwing motion. His assistant coach continually provides encouragement. “Elbow up, there you go. Release higher. There ya go. Nice.” On his strongest throws, Harris advances the ball about 20 feet.Through his long road back, his mother’s been right at his side. Lori Humphreys described the last six months like this, “It’s been a new world, never knowing if he was going to make it at times.” Just a few weeks before the crash, Harris had written words of inspiration for his teammates. The sign, which proved prophetic, still rests in the baseball training room. Harris wrote, “In life it’s not always easy. You have to stay strong and overcome things that hurt you most.”The young man lives by …