A financially struggling teacher and his wife had a 4-year old son when she gave birth to another child, who was promptly hospitalized with illness.

In a state of post-partum depression, the young mother took her own life.

"The gaping void in my life was complicated by the fact that our 4-year-old thought that his mom was coming back soon.

"Friends stepped in, with helpful lunches and accompanied me on long walks. At the gloomy April funeral, it was helpful to see the supportive faces of many nice folks," the writer said, including the subjects of his letter among the "nice folks."

"Life went on. Reality struck when I saw the accumulated expenses of hospitals and mortuary. The $90 check from Social Security was of limited help. And, no life insurance. When young, we apparently expect to live forever, and see little need for insurance.

"Then came a strange surprise. Someone(s) had anonymously deposited $1,000 into my bank checking account, a very welcome act of serendipity. The banker had been sworn to secrecy.

"Apparently, I'm not too bright," the writer said. "... years later ... I asked him a question, point blank: 'Were you the one(s) who did it?' He knew what I meant, and acknowledged by nodding, 'Yes.'"

"That's what special friends are like. And now that I know the identity of the secret benefactors, how will I pay them back? That's a secret."

It's a poignant story and reassuring as well. Thankfully, much more is known today about post-partum depression and other mental illnesses, and more people are open about needing help.

But a chat with a member of the "secret benefactors" family revealed just how much a sacrifice that $1,000 was all those years ago. The family rarely had treats like going out for meals that many children take for granted today.

But no one who knows those involved would be the least bit surprised.

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An Arizona doctor who was in the news recently has local ties.

Dr. Richard Emerson, who repaired a complex tear of the meniscus of former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson's left knee is the brother of Gregg Emerson, director of radiology at Community Hospital in McCook.

Richard Emerson, who was team doctor for the Phoenix Suns for 17 seasons, said he was amazed that Tyson was able to fight on for three more rounds after injuring his knee, losing to British and Commonwealth champ Danny Williams.

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Friday night to Saturday morning's annual Relay for Life was another great reminder of the many wonderful people who populate our area. The sight of hundreds of people turning out in support of those who have been affected by cancer is almost as therapeutic as the research the annual effort helps to fund.

An accompanying photo of a Cars For A Cure car show should have noted one obvious point, however, that that event was in Arapahoe.

From what I hear about the engine building competition, those Southeast Community College teams were pretty impressive.

Those of us who haven't had a chance to see what it takes to put together an engine will have another chance with local high school talent at Old Settler's Celebration on Saturday, starting at noon in downtown Indianola.

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It's great to see public parks like the one in Arapahoe, as well as Norris Park with its bandshell receiving such good use this summer -- especially with such pleasant weather that we've been enjoying.

Another Hot Summer Nights concert is at 7:30 p.m. Thursday with an appearance of the Canadian folk-acoustic group, the Duhks.

Don't let the folk-acoustic label fool you. After attending to Scotts-Irish Festival for several years in Estes Park, Colo., I can tell you that a group like the Duhks won't hold anything back.