Making A Difference

 by Thomas Martin

I think almost all men reach a point in their lives where they question whether or not they have “made a difference” in this world.   One of the most touching moments in film is in Saving Private Ryan when the adult Private Ryan takes his family to the cemetery in Normandy, France; he kneels down at the grave of his dead Captain, weeps, turns to his family and asks, “Have I been a good man?”  

Another very impactful movie/documentary to me is Searching for Sugarman.  It is the story of 1970s singer Rodriguez.  Rodriguez was considered by many in the music industry to be the next really big thing, but he found only moderate success in the United States.  He was finally dropped from his record label and faded into obscurity.  What he did not know was that he made a huge impact in the lives of the youth in South Africa during the time of Apartheid.  In fact, he was the biggest selling artist of that time.  The youth who opposed Apartheid drew inspiration from the music and lyrics of Rodriguez that very well led to the end of that oppressive system. 

Years later, two South Africans decide to find out what exactly happened to this inspiring man and traveled to the US to find all the information they could.  Within this documentary we learn that they do find him and tell him about the impact he had on their lives.  At this point in his life Rodriguez lives and works in Detroit, restoring crumbling homes.  The two men then arrange to have Rodriguez and his daughters, come to South Africa where he performs in several sold out arena concerts. 

I find this story so amazing, that Rodriguez doubtlessly viewed his life as somewhat of a failure, yet he was actually a roaring success but that it was unknown to him.  

I know for myself, there are low days when I feel my life has meant nothing to anyone.  Yet, I have the privilege to log onto the internet and see otherwise.  In 2013, I published my biography of the prior few years.   I had been diagnosed with heart failure and went through a rather arduous path to restore my health, including the implantation of a Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD). 

I wrote the book with mostly one purpose in mind.  It was to acknowledge and thank all of the wonderful people who had helped me through these difficult times.  These people included family, friends, and people within the medical community.  I wanted them to all read my view of what had happened and show my appreciation.  I did not truly think there would be an impact on anyone beyond that small group.

Without trying too hard to market the book, it seemed to take on its own life in sales.  Not that it was a best seller, but it obviously found its way into the hands of many people who needed to read it. 

One day, when I was feeling very low, I logged onto Amazon.com and began reading the reviews that had been posted.  Many were from people I knew who kindly wrote about how my experiences affected them, but then I found the reviews written by those unknown to me who had somehow found the book and were impacted by my story. 

I sat and cried, finding it difficult to believe the impact I had had.

Undeniably, the most impactful of those reviews was one not even written.  One day I received a call from a man asking if I was the Thomas Martin who had written One Percent.  I assured him that it was me and I asked how I could help him.   He told me he had had a similar path as myself with heart failure and had read my book.  He said, “I am going to be in the Dallas area for work.  May I take you out to dinner?”   

Needless to say, I was rather stunned, but agreed to the meeting.

Over dinner he told me that the path he had taken was more emotional and upsetting than he could even process.  He told me that he tried to explain to his wife many times what he was experiencing, but the words would never come.  “Then I read your book.  I finished it and handed it to her saying, ‘this is how I felt as everything was happening.  These are all the things I was unable to tell you.  It’s all right here in this little book.’”

I almost did not know how to respond to this man.  I sat staring at him with tears running down my cheek.  Never in my life had it been so clear that I had actually made a difference in the world. 

It wasn’t too long after that I received yet another call from an unknown number.   When I answered, it was the voice of a young man asking if I was Thomas Martin.  Again, I cautiously answered yes and asked how I might help him.   He told me his name was Dustin Wert.

Dustin told me his father had had a massive heart attack and was currently in a coma at Hershey Hospital in Pennsylvania.  The doctors told the family that he would need the same type of life-saving heart pump (an LVAD) that I had had.   Since his father was in a coma, the family would have to make the final decision to proceed with the operation. 

Facing this decision, Dustin began scouring the internet for information on the LVAD and somehow ran across my name and phone number in a comment on a video. 

He took the chance to call me and find out more about this overwhelming surgery. 

We had a long talk and I told him of my experience.   This all led to a long friendship with the father and the rest of the family.   I was fortunate to have met them personally a couple of years later. 

I haven’t changed the world or saved a country from the injustice of Apartheid, but I have touched a few lives and from that I can find joy and value in my own life.  I know it has not been wasted.

 

These are only a couple of the amazing people who have blessed me.   I still get down at times because of my own struggles and unreasonable expectations, but I can always return to those reviews on Amazon and read them once again.