This is what we do. We rally with reason.
This time it was for 4-year-old Declan, a young Wheeling boy struggling in his battle against childhood cancer. His “Defenders” wanted to offer strength against the stages, so they lined up in their vehicles in South Wheeling, and their honks, waves, lights and sirens let him know that his community cares for him.
First responders were there, too, and that is because they wanted to offer hope to a child battling an evilness that has taken from us far too many. Borders didn’t matter either, and that’s because we get angry when lives are cut short. The people of the Upper Ohio Valley have a passion for winning, and we hate when we lose.
Our valley has done the same for Hines Rotriga during the “Hope for Hines” events at Quaker Steak & Lube at The Highlands, and thankfully, the little man is now 8 years old and feisty as ever. Hines, who was initially diagnosed when only 1, has been “no signs” for four years now, and he will be the first to tell you beat those damn “bad cookies.” For the past few years, The Lube, the Rotrigas, and Miklas Meat Market have staged the parking lot picnics and contributed the raised funds for other families, like Declan’s, to further fortify the fight.
That’s what we do. We fight, and we’re fierce.
We may bicker over politics and debate stay-at-home orders, but when it comes to one of our own, there’s only one side we stand on. It defines us, and I am proud of that definition.
