During the Emmys on Sunday night, George Clooney said we all fail to stay interested in important stories outside of the news cycle. Haitians, the Sudanese, New Orleans residents and many others continue to suffer when there is not news to report. Clooney challenged anyone watching to figure out a way to keep our focus on the challenges of those areas. That would be good work, he said.

Later in that same awards telecast, the spotlight turned to autism, as Temple Grandin and those who told her story got access to a prime-time audience.

Typically, the day after the Emmys or other awards shows, we'll also run a story about who won what, or who wore what. This year, our post-Emmy story was about autism. It wasn't what you would call news in the strict sense. There was no new medical insight or no new funding or no new expert who's been hired locally. No new nothing, actually, except a reminder of the daily challenge of those touched by autism, wherever on the spectrum they are.

As we talked it over at Monday's story idea meeting, we recalled this link to a five-minute interview with Edmonton MP Mike Lake and his son, Jaden, 14, recently did with Tom Clark on CTV's Power Play.

Jaden has autism. The interview gives some idea of the daily, out-of-the-spotlight challenges faced by families dealing with autism. And the love and dignity and grace that is a family's response.

It's not news.  But it's very worth hearing about anew.

Glenn Kubish
News Director

Honestly, I hadn't given it much thought until a once-in-a-lifetime (with the emphasis on life) event in Jasper. Along with 43 other cyclists, I rode with cancer survivor and 7-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong in Jasper on Thursday.   

Each rider had to raise $25,000. The funds went to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.

I rode with my husband, Stephen, and my father-in-law, Don. We spent many hours training leading up to the 100 km ride. They were ready. I had my doubts about myself, though: 100k is a long haul two months post-baby!

That was until Kristin Crowe put it all in perspective.

We were just shy of the halfway mark. It was raining, it was windy. Five of us were drafting as we pushed up a hill.

 From behind me came an encouraging voice. "You guys are awesome!" she said. "Thank you so much for letting me draft you. I'm buying you all a beer when we finish!"

It was a grind up that hill. Most of us struggled to breathe and crank the pedals to the top. And then her voice again.

"Woohoo! This is the best day!"

She powered up the rest of that hill as if it didn't exist, as if she's no stranger to taking on hills. I figured she must be an experienced cyclist until the rider behind me pulled up and said, "Wow, that's perspective from someone who's in the fight of her life right now."     

After the ride was over, I found out that voice and the perspective belonged to Kristin. She's a breast cancer patient who had a mastectomy and is in the middle of intense chemotherapy and radiation treatment. In fact, she underwent chemo only two days before the ride.

I congratulated her on the ride and asked her where she found her strength.

"I'm a single mom of two boys and when you get a diagnosis like cancer you have two choices. You can either give up, or fight like hell," she said. "My boys are nine and eleven. They play Triple A hockey, they have their whole life ahead of them, and I need to be there for them."

"I think you know which option I chose."

And with tears in her eyes, she also mentioned her bigger family, her community of Belleville, Ont., who raised the money to send her to the ride.

"They know I can beat this disease and there is no way I am going to let them down."  

Now, that, coming from a woman who raised more than $50,000 for the cause, is perspective.

For Kristin, this event wasn't about meeting Lance Armstrong. It was about meeting life's greatest challenge and staring it down. It wasn't about feeling that life shortchanged her, but, rather,  recognizing the gifts she'd been given.  It was about turning dark into bright.

And she took me along, and that ride was free.

It is, it was and will forever be "a best day" in my mind. Kristin, thank you.

Carrie Doll