Sometimes event coverage gets to me

I've covered multiple charity events within my few years as a college reporter/ intern. Some of them include coverages of a powderpuff football game for cancer, a "jock rock" event to benefit Haiti relief, a mascot basketball game to benefit the American Lung Association and a blood drive competition for the American Red Cross.

The most recent charity event I had a chance to cover, however, was the Michigan Chapter of the ALS's Gears and Beers, ride for a cure.

This event, like most charity events, was simple. Grab some sponsors, get some money, bike a few (or many) miles and enjoy the after party.

I wasn't really prepared for the impact this event had on some of the participants though.

One woman I talked to had recently lost her father to ALS, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. Her brother recently developed the disease and she faces a possible risk of inheriting it, since it runs in the family. Instead of accepting defeat, this woman worked with a team of about 20 other event participants to raise $15,000 toward a cure. Incredible.

Another woman, suffering herself, recently lost her mother to ALS. She told me, tears streaming down her face the entire time, all about her mother and the impact this disease has had on her family.

This isn't the first touching charity event I've had to cover. It's also far from the last. However, it's events like these that remind me of what I love: to hear people tell their stories. If I could make a living out of hearing these stories and telling them to other people... Oh. Wait. I think there's a career for that.