HAWESVILLE, Ky. (WTVF) — A writer for a Kentucky newspaper sought to bring positivity with the articles he wrote. After his life changed, he felt a calling to help people through a new column. The power of that writer's work has never been stronger.
On a Saturday morning, a softball tournament was underway in Hancock County, Kentucky.
"Well, we lost today!" laughed resident Robbie Sosh. "You can call us the Bad News Bears! They always came back and had a good time!"
That's true.
Now, someone not out on the field was Jamie Taylor.
"No!" she said from a nearby picnic table. "I'm not athletic at all, not even a little bit."
Jamie's husband, Dave Taylor, was a newspaper reporter at the Hancock Clarion. He wrote about the good news around Hancock County, Kentucky, and about all the great people who live there.
"On our first date, Dave talked about Hancock County like it was literally the best place to ever grow up," Jamie remembered.
I first met Dave and Jamie nearly three years ago. The type of stories Dave was writing had just changed after a diagnosis.
"I began having trouble swallowing," Dave told me in 2021. "That's when they discovered I had stage four esophageal cancer."
As a writer, Dave figured he could take this and do something to help people. He began writing a column called "What I Learned From Dying." He just wrote what was on his mind.
"It's helped a lot of people start conversations with their family," Jamie said.
"Those articles really helped put a new perspective on everything, especially in a small town," added resident Tyler Kratzer.
"It was very raw, and we appreciated that from him — the honesty," said another resident Bailee Hodges. "I think it was a very open invitation into his life that he didn't have to share, but he did."
Dave Taylor died in 2022. His words continue to resonate with people in this community, in part because everyone's life has been touched by cancer.
"My grandfather passed about five years ago from cancer," Tyler said.
"Myself," Robbie added. "I had testicular and prostate. Been in remission four years."
Then there's Bailee, the mother of 3-year-old Raelan.
"She has leukemia," Bailee said. "As much as you know about cancer, you don't know about it until it's in your home."
Staying strong is brother Landon.
"You don't think it'll be one of your family members," Landon said. "It's one of your people, and when it is, it hits you hard."
"She's currently in remission," Bailee continued. "She will continue treatment for two-and-a-half years."
There's something you should know about this Saturday softball tournament. It was the Dave Taylor Memorial Softball Tournament. People came out to help raise money for Raelan. Dave always knew the people here were pretty great.
"People are using his name and helping others and comforting others," Jamie said. "I think it would bring a tremendous amount of joy to him. You feel like you mourn alone when you lose someone, so the fact that these people go through this effort, it meant a lot."
Jamie's just gotten something released: a book of Dave's articles. It's called "What I Learned From Dying." Jamie wrote an afterward for the book herself.
She read an excerpt.
"To Dave, do you remember that one night before the cancer, when we were lying in bed? 'Do you ever think about how someday someone will say your name, talking specifically about you, and it will be the last time?' Well, as long as I live, your name, as regards to you specifically, will remain spoken. All my love, Jamie."
Dave's book, "What I Learned From Dying," is now available to order on Amazon. You can find it here.
Also, if you'd like to donate to Raelan's family, you can do that here.
Do you have a positive, good news story? You can email me at forrest.sanders@newschannel5.com.
Fostering Hope provides Christmas for kids in foster care. I'm delighted to see Fostering Hope expand this year to expand their reach to now include kids in Foster care in metro AND foster kids in East TN hard hit by Helene.
-Bree Smith
