A 16 year-old girl with cystic fibrosis got to meet Landon Donovan (surprise, surprise) as part of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Props to MLS, SJ, and Donovan!
Good for him. It says something that she WANTED to meet him. But I don't want to analyze this too much. If the girl is with Make-A-Wish, she's probably pretty ill. I don't want to mess around with that too much. Hope the best for her.
I think 9/11 showed america the power that sports idols have over people. I mean, you'd see tired workers and rescuers just lite up when a yankee or a met came out to greet them. I know i'd give anything to make an ill 16 year old happy as she seemed to be on TV.
Or it showed how screwed up culturally we've become that a simple guy who plays a game is the most important/inspiring thing we can think of.
probably. but if you had that inspirational power would you withold it for that reason? Even if it is odd, as long as it helps right.
I don't know. Was there a laying on of hands followed by a miracle cure? Maybe she should have wished for a trip to Lourdes.
her insurance probably got that for her. She wanted to meet her hero and she got her chance. Who are we to judge her?
You are of course, correct. If that really was her wish, and she is a dying child, there's no second guessing that. On the other hand: Why do I have the sneaking suspicion that someone in MLS PR put her up to it? Why do I get the feeling that MLS and Landon Donovan are taking advantage of a sick kid to make themselves look good? Why do I keep seeing images of Ishmael floating into port clinging to someone's coffin?
You know, this is one of the reasons I am an optimist. My mom thinks i am too idealistic and even if I am I don't mind. You know why? Because then I don't have to think of these kind of sick situations. Just reading that almost makes me want to get the hell off these boards.
This is the problem: when you make a big public deal over your good works, it detracts from them because it impeaches your motive. Did MLS do this because it wanted to help a sick child, or did MLS do this because it wanted a nice photo op? That's a legitimate question. I'm no "preacher" but even the Bible speaks directly to this point, Matthew Ch.6: "Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven." How many visits to sick kids does Landon make when the cameras are not rolling?
I don't know and I refuse to get into an arguement about this as I believe it is truly in bad taste and the only outcome would be the defamation of what looks like a good person. What if that girl reads those comments aboout Landon? He made her happy for a day in what has to be a difficult life and you want to take it away by raising doubts about her sports idol?
I just can't believe that this was some sort of MLS advertising conspiracy. The Make-A-Wish people don't work like that, and frankly niether do most all of those who help the kids' wishes come true. When my little sister was dieing from cancer the Make-A-Wish folks came in and said 'What do you want?" She told them, they made the phone calls and made it happen. Everyone they called jumped at the chance to help and I just don't beleive that Landon Donavon and MLS didn't react just the same way. From my involvement since, I don't think I've ever seen anyone who was asked to help make a child's wish come true ever turn them down unless it was just flat out impossible. Maybe there shouldn't be a media circus made of every such event (and there isn't, these people are making wishes come true all over the country every day) but I think it speaks very highly of MLS and particularly of a very young man (LD) to do what he could to help make a young girl feel better, even if only for a little while.
Only someone named Cadaver could write this. Basically, Make-a-Wish is its own gig. I don't think they allow themselves to be coerced.
I do buy that, and agree that Make-A-Wish is an honorable and worthy organization. MLS could have honored the kid's wish without making a self-congratulatory public spectacle out of it. Its this "Look at me - look how charitable I am" element that I find repulsive, manipulative, and unworthy.
Now I understand your point. It wasn't clear (to me anyway) from your original post. I agree there's no reason to stick a camera in there. The way cameras are poked in everywhere in our society I find repulsive, and this is just another example. But I won't get on MLS' back for this as there are all sorts of reasons as to how or why it came about. All I know is the kid had a beautiful smile and I hope she is and continues to be well.