Letter to the Editor: Saying Good-bye to an American hero

I long admired General Powell. After his death, I learned we had more in common.

General Colin Powell was someone I deeply admired for his service to our country and especially our children.  I was blessed to share the opportunity to attend three GradNation Summits in Washington, D.C., with some of my colleagues in the Kinston and Charlotte communities.  I was able to greet General Powell and his beautiful wife, Alma, at two of the summits during the time they were leaders of America's Promise. Their son, Michael, gave a shout out to Kinston, N.C., during a speech, calling us one of the communities working to make a difference in the lives of our children.

I recently read that author Bob Woodward had a conversation with General Powell during which he shared that he had been in and out of the hospital due to his challenges with multiple myeloma and Parkinson's disease.  Woodward shared that he was sorry to hear that news.

Powell was quick to say, "Don't feel sorry for me.  I am 85 years old.  I had to get something!!!"

For me, what I found stunning was Powell's admission that he was a multiple myeloma patient. My daughter April had shared with me on the day of his passing that he had multiple myeloma.  The news literally knocked me off my feet.  Although I was a big fan of his great work and service, I was a bit shocked that I did not know he was a myeloma patient.

Multiple myeloma is a blood cancer that you do not hear very much about until someone famous is diagnosed and/or succumbs to it.  I am not famous, but I have lived with the challenge of multiple myeloma since 2010.  When my doctor gave me the diagnosis, the first words out of my mouth were "I ain't got time for cancer.  I've got work to do!!!

While General Powell seems to have kept his diagnosis close to chest, I have tried to share my journey with others to show that living with cancer does not mean you have to stop living. I have outlived the 36 to 48 month prognosis my doctor initially gave me. I have been blessed that there have been great treatments available to me to keep the cancer at bay. Great treatments but not a cure.

The Covid-19 pandemic has certainly put a lot of fear in those of us who are immunocompromised. After Powell's death, critics were quick to question the efficacy of the Covid-19 vaccine since Powell's family shared that he was fully vaccinated. Some initial news reports also did not say he was immunocompromised and fell in a high risk category for contracting the virus.

I am fully vaccinated and all three of my grown children are as well. But we each have had health issues that could put us at a greater risk for the virus. To be completely honest, we all are at risk of contracting the virus.

I look forward to the day we can say goodbye to the devastation of multiple myeloma, Parkinson's disease and to the life-threatening effects of Covid-19.

It is with great sadness to say goodbye to a great American hero.  However, it is with great pride, General Colin Powell, that I say thank you so much for a life well-lived.

Theresa Williams Bethea
Winterville, North Carolina