I truly believe that this man died a hero, and I don't throw that word around liberally. When I read about this today I was moved in a way that I have not been in quite some time.
If you have not read the newspaper or watched the news, here is what I'm talking about: James Kim, a Senior Editor of CNET, left his wife and two daughters in their car to look for help after being stranded for seven days in the Oregon wilderness.
During this time, it was reported that he "lifted his family's spirits by acting as if they were all just on a campout." They burned their tires for warmth, ate berries and drank melted snow. An S.O.S. was also stomped into the snow next to their car in the hopes a helicopter or plane would see it.
After realizing they might not survive unless help was found, James left to walk to town which he believed was a mere 4 miles away. It was actually 15. He walked just over 10 miles before finally succumbing to hypothermia. While his wife and daughters were found just 2 days after he left, James' body was not found for another 2 days following.
While I do not personally know James Kim, my heart goes out to his family. It is painfully obvious that he was a wonderful, caring, and above all selfless human being who gave his life trying to save his wife and daughters.
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