Ever wondered where all the good men are gone? Or where are all the gods? So have we.
It’s that time of the week again, ladies…
This week’s #HerHeroOfTheWeek is one man that we have a lot of love for in the Her towers, Tony Sheridan.
Tony has appeared twice previously on the pages of Her.ie, both of which were completely inspirational, and this time is no different.
In the first piece the Monaghan man was undertaking the Darkness into Light walk with Pieta House, in memory of his mother and uncle, both sadly lost to suicide. The second was just seven months ago on Tony’s birthday, a date he also shared with the third anniversary of his mother’s funeral. Tony marked the occasion by writing this special message Facebook asking people to simply – make your life worth living.
During the week our friend Tony posted another poignant message to his Facebook page, something that we felt we had to share with our readers. This time he writes powerfully about the importance of a phone call.
This is a pretty incredible story…
Never Underestimate The Power Of A Phone Call
Sometimes a phone call is insignificant and sometimes it can change an entire life forever…. Like the call I got from my Dad on the 7th of June 2010 saying that my Mam’s bag and jacket were found at the lake near her house in Monaghan and that I should drive home from Limerick asap, or the call that Dad got the next morning from the Gardai saying that he was needed to identify a body recovered by the sub aqua team, or the call from my girlfriend’s dad on the 17th of June 2010 to tell me she had been in a car accident and I needed to get to the hospital asap where I was told to prepare myself that she was going to die, or the calls I made to her friends weeks later saying that she had come off life-support and was going to survive, or the call she made from hospital months later saying it was all over between us and she needed to walk her road alone.
Then there were the calls, from my amazing friends and family that helped me deal with the outcomes of those other devastating calls, sometimes saying very little, sometimes talking lots of crap, sometimes talking about how I felt. Those friends and family will never fully understand the importance those calls to me, there was the call I made to arrange to seek professional help… and then of course there was the call Dad picked up at 5pm on the 20th of February 2011 as we sat as a family eating dinner in the fiddlers restaurant that made him return to the table with the news that my sister Rachel “has given birth to a healthy baby girl, and they are calling her Bella.”
If you have recently received a call that brought pain and suffering, stay strong, make a call yourself, to someone for support, be it a friend, family member or one of the dedicated hotlines (see below). If you have a friend or a family member who you think needs a call don’t put it off because you feel uncomfortable, or because you are ‘busy’ and certainly don’t underestimate the importance of it. Without those calls from my family and friends, without the call I made to book an appointment with a counselor to deal with what I was going through I never would have been around to receive the calls in the years since that have brought me such happiness… Today I am embracing life and I want to wish a Happy 3rd birthday to the best call ever answered, the light in my darkness… my beautiful niece Bella So glad I didnt do something I would have regretted, that I made the right call, and so grateful to be around to see you grow and fill so many hearts with love.
When your phone rings sometimes answering it is insignificant, sometimes it will change your life forever, sometimes it brings tragic death and sometimes it brings exquisite life, sometimes the world sucks and sometimes it’s so amazing you can’t comprehend it and it can all change in an instant BUT when it does… never underestimate the power of a phone call.
Tony Sheridan, you are without a doubt one of the greatest #HerHeroes yet. Thank you for sharing your story.
If you need to make a call or know someone that should, you can get all the information and help you need from one of these numbers:
Aware: 1890 303302
Samaritans: 1850 609090
Shine (Supporting People Affected by Mental Ill Health): 1890 621631
Console: 1800 201890
Pieta House: 01 601 0000
Reachout :01 764 5666
Do you know a HERO?
Ladies, every week we will select one complete gentleman to be Her Hero, not without your help of course…
How can you help? Send an image of someone you think is an absolute hero, and if we agree, your entry will get a very deserving and coveted place.
He doesn’t have to be fast, he doesn’t necessarily have to be brave, or have ever been involved in a fight in his life… but it may help.
The picture can be anything, a nice gesture from your boyfriend (providing you have one), a text from your Dad or friend, or even someone lovely you happen to meet on the street. Surprise us!
Send your potential Her Heroes to [email protected] or use the #HerHeroOfTheWeek on Twitter.
Until next week…
