I’m bringing my Uncommon column to you a few days early and for good reason.
One thing you’ll come to learn about is that I used to be scared to death of tornadoes (still am a bit), but on the other hand I’m addicted to watching all things weather related during storm season. And yes, a huge part of me would love to go storm chasing. I’m getting to where I stand outside and take pictures of the clouds instead of totally bury my head in the sand.
Now, don’t get me wrong, when the sirens go off, okay usually before the sirens go off, I’ve got our safe place prepared and I’m usually sitting in there until I know exactly where the funnel cloud(s) have been spotted before I glance outside.
Today, as I write this, we are expecting storms in the afternoon. Given the pain in my head and the nervousness of the dogs, I know the storms will be somewhat strong. I’ve already called my mother and warned her the kid and I may ‘hang out” later. In the old days I would have already been there.
So, as typical Christina, I got off track. I was talking Uncommon, which led me to storm chasing, which led me to storms and myself. Now, let me backtrack.
Yesterday, I watched a small snippet on The Weather Channel about Reed Timmer. A fan of Storm Chasers, I have never been a huge fan of Timmer. I admire him for weather research. However, his enthusiasm in the midst of a tornadic storm keeps him from making wise decisions. Not that I have experience storm chasing, but I have experience of being in a car and being scared to death when the sirens are blaring and funnel clouds are forming in the sky. People like me, don’t need over overzealous storm chasers barreling down the road, honking their horns and confusing us further. If you’ve seen Storm Chasers you know what I’m talking about. If you’ve read the newspaper articles, you know what I’m talking about.
However, I found something hugely admirable in Timmer this week. Remember that snippet on The Weather Channel I mentioned? Well, it seems there is a young man whose dream is to be a storm chaser. This 15 year old young man, Nick Rodick, has Von Hippel Lindau disease. VHL is a disease that causes multiple tumors both malignant and benign.
Make a Wish Foundation and Reed Timmer teamed up to make this kid’s wish come true. Kudos to Timmer for stepping up and doing something uncommon. As I write this, no doubt, Timmer and Rodick are watching the radar and the skies over Oklahoma. Although I pray there are no deadly, damaging tornadoes, it is my prayer that this young man will experience storm chasing to its fullest and what better way than to do it with Timmer.
For more on this story and the video, click here.