Lake Country resident Bob Delaney, a former New Jersey state trooper who infiltrated organized crime in the 1970s before going on to become a veteran NBA referee and executive, recently completed Heroes are Human, Lessons in Resilience, Courage, and Wisdom from the COVID Front Lines. Published in September and co-authored with award-winning journalist Dave Scheiber, Heroes are Human was written to honor front-line healthcare workers by telling some of their stories of personal and professional struggles throughout the pandemic.
Delaney gave a spirited and informative presentation on Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) before an attentive audience Oct. 25, at The Plaza Arts Center in Eatonton.
Prior to the event at The Plaza, Delaney and Georgia Writers Museum President Lou Benjamin met with leadership at Eatonton’s Putnam General Hospital and St. Mary's Good Samaritan in Greensboro to deliver free copies of Heroes are Human to honor, thank and support both facilities’ employees. The books were funded by event sponsors. Additional copies of Heroes are Human remain available for purchase at Georgia Writers Museum (109 S. Jefferson Ave., Eatonton).
Inspired nearly two years ago by a simple sign stating, “Heroes Work Here,” outside Greensboro’s St. Mary’s Good Samaritan Hospital, Delaney entered into more than a year of firsthand research to deepen his understanding of the mental and physical toll imposed on healthcare practitioners at all levels.
Delaney’s overall message to frontline workers? Not all wounds bleed and invisible wounds may hurt every bit as much as the wounds we see. Heroes are Human also offers invaluable strategies to healthcare professionals for self-care and healing.
“Bob, your message was compelling, important, and delivered with great passion,” GWM’s Chip Bell said at The Plaza. “It is an inspiration to all of us to witness someone who cares deeply about the lives of others and is willing to influence them to help each other and help themselves.”
Special thanks to the Georgia Writers Museum, Smith Communications, Farmers and Merchants Bank, The Peoples Bank, Sun Mark Bank, The Plaza Arts Center, Reynolds Lake Oconee, Putnam General Hospital, St.
Mary’s Good Samaritan, and Lake Oconee Dentistry for sponsoring the event to provide free, signed copies of Heroes are Human to all employees of both hospitals.
- Contributed Tracy Stickley and Melissa Swindell