by AP
Posted on January 21, 2010 at 7:58 AM
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LAKEWOOD, Wash. (AP) — Molly Hightower’s uncle told some 600 mourners at her funeral Mass in Lakewood, Wash., that it’s easy to think of the young woman who died in the Haiti earthquake as a saint.
But the Rev. Craig Hightower said Wednesday that the 22-year-old was a complex young woman who could have done anything after graduating from the University of Portland with a triple major in psychology, sociology and French. Instead, he told the crowd at St. John Bosco Catholic Church, she decided to work for a year with some of the poorest children on the planet.
Her father, Mike Hightower of Port Orchard, says the family learned that Molly was on the fifth floor of a seven-story orphanage building when it collapsed. She helped at an orphanage and at a hospital and also worked with disabled children.
Her 24-year-old sister Jordan told the audience that the past week has sometimes felt like “the end of the world for my family.” Jordan Hightower said while her sister would understand that grief, she would then demand something better from everyone.
Last week, during a post-game interview after a physical game with the Boston Celtics, Joakim Noah of the Chicago Bulls sent his thoughts and prayers to the people of Haiti. Along with other NBA players, like Alonzo Mourning and Samuel Dalembert, and other sports, hollywood, and political celebrities have joined hands in helping the victims of this recent tragedy to the already suffering nation, and help us all realize what life is truly about. Unfortunately, fanatical comments, like such made by Pat Robertson and Rush Limbaugh, have made more headlines than the good-doers. The media is also filled with images of the distruction, the dead, and the dying living us with nothing to the imagination and the victims no sense of respect or privacy.
But amidst all of this catastrophe, there many acts of humanity that were left unnoticed by the press. Everywere in the country, Haitians and other volunteers have come together to help fellow victims and pick up whatever there is left. Many of those who perished were volunteers who had done heroic acts of kindness with hopes to change the impoverished country for the better.
I pray for those who were victims and heroes, and for the volunteers, that they may be provided with the basic needs, manpower, comfort, and hope. God bless Haiti.
