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It took a man, unable to use his vocal cords and without the motor skills that you and I take for granted each and every day, roughly three and one-half minutes to explain the true meaning of courage.

Stephen “Steve” Michael Gleason spent six seasons in the National Football League, all with the New Orleans Saints. Average fans may not remember his playing days, but those of us who closely follow the sport will recall one special night.

On Sept. 25, 2006, Gleason and his teammates were hosting the Atlanta Falcons. But this wasn’t just your average, ordinary game. Rather, it marked the Saints first game in New Orleans in nearly 21 months as the city was recovering from the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. The Superdome, the home field of the Saints, was damaged, but did serve as a temporary home for New Orleans residents whose homes were totally destroyed.

Early in the first quarter of a scoreless game, Gleason, a reserve who played on special teams, blocked an Atlanta punt, which was recovered for a touchdown by Curtis Deloatch. The roar of the crowd was deafening as New Orleans finally had something positive to celebrate.

By the way, Deloatch is a native of Murfreesboro who graduated in 1999 from Hertford County High School. He played at North Carolina A&T and was an undrafted free agent with the NY Giants and later played with the Saints and the Carolina Panthers.

But back to Gleason.

Fast forward to 2011. It was then that the news broke that Gleason was suffering from ALS, aka Lou Gehrig’s Disease, which is considered a terminal neuromuscular disease. Instead of living in the shadows, Gleason took a bold step forward. It became his passion to show that ALS patients can not only live but also thrive after diagnosis. In doing so, he hoped to inspire others to do the same. With that in mind, Steve and his wife, Michel, formed “Team Gleason” to help him accomplish those goals and more.

According to the Team Gleason website, Steve’s story and mission have been told countless times throughout the media and in a soon to be released documentary. He has been featured in two Peter King interviews during Super Bowl pre-game shows, NFL’s A Football Life, Good Morning America, HBO’s Real Sports and more.

Then came the 2024 ESPYS, sports awards in various categories presented annually by ESPN. This year’s ceremony was held July 11 in Los Angeles. It was there that Gleason was presented the prestigious Arthur Ashe Award for Courage. Ashe, who died in 1993 after a courageous battle againat HIV, is the only Black man ever to win the singles titles at Wimbledon, the US Open, and the Australian Open.

Seated in a wheelchair on the stage, Gleason – through voice-aided computer technology – reflected on the meaning of courage in a powerful speech.

“To have courage, we must first experience loneliness, unworthiness, or any of the faces of fear,” Gleason said. “I was told I had three years to live when I was diagnosed with ALS in 2011, so I have fear tattooed all over me.

“For me, this award means some encouragement and triumph for the families currently living with ALS, or living with disabilities or other ailments and for you who may experience fear,” he continued. “No one is immune from fear or suffering. We all need to discover ways to be courageous and love the life we have. We need to explore what’s on the other side of fear to grow stronger, better and have peace of mind.

“Moving through life’s adversities is the purpose of being human,” he noted. “It’s clear to me that our courage to share our vulnerabilities with each other is our greatest strength. Without compassion and support, I would have been dead years ago.

“Do we have the courage to unconditionally love our neighbors, our enemies and ourselves? I don’t think anyone will disagree that we face enormous challenges in the 21^st century. If we can courageously share our fears and limitations with each other and compassionately collaborate to solve problems, our human potential is boundless. All things are possible,” he concluded.

I often wonder what makes people so strong in the face of fear and the courage they show to overcome the obstacles. I’m reminded of two other individuals who, like Gleason, once stood tall and then, faced with adversity, did all they could to overcome a medical challenge.

Robert Elton “Rock” Vinson was my brother-in-law. If he had lived, Monday of last week (July 8) would have marked his 76^th birthday.

Jim “Catfish” Hunter was my childhood hero. He is a Major League Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher (Kansas City Athletics, Oakland Athletics, and New York Yankees) from the tiny town of Hertford, NC who was scouted by professional teams while playing American Legion Baseball for Post 102 here in Ahoskie.

Rock and Catfish both suffered from ALS. They died a little over four months apart in 1999 (Rock passed away on May 5; Catfish succumbed on Sept. 9).

Rock was the ultimate “family man” – working hard in the world of finance to support my now late sister, Cindy, and their two children: Elizabeth and Bryan.

And while Catfish was handed one of the first-ever million-dollar contracts, he never abandoned his roots or his ideals. After his MLB career was over, he returned to Perquimans County to farm soybeans, corn, peanuts, and cotton. He was also a spokesman for diabetes awareness. He would always come back to Ahoskie to participate in Catfish Hunter Day at the high school baseball field…even when he struggled to walk and talk because of ALS.

Rock remained light-hearted and displayed a positive attitude up until God called him home.

Catfish founded an ALS Foundation that bears his name. It helped raise money for research of the disease as well as to assist patients and their families.

And just like Steve Gleason, they defined courage in the face of fear. The world is a better place because of each of these men.

Cal Bryant is the Editor of Roanoke-Chowan Publications. Contact him at cal.bryant@r-cnews.com or 252-332-7207.