Watch as Local Man Beats Virus and Hugs Family

Today I watched a video, shared by Mark Mulholland of News Channel 13, with tears in my eyes of a man being wheeled out of Saratoga Hospital as the wonderful medical staff and his loving family cheered loudly. I don't know this man, only that his name according to the report, is Tom Cappelletti.  And I don't know much about his story, only that he had been in the hospital for a month fighting for his life, two of which he spent on a ventilator.  But I do know this; a simple :52 second clip may be exactly the kind of thing we need to see and feel as we hope to restore normalcy and good health in our everyday lives.

As medical staff wheeled him out - on this bright sunny day - I watched this video soaking up any and all of the beauty it possessed.  I kept saying to myself, "Stand up Tom, get out of that damn wheelchair!"

At the :36 mark of the video, with some assistance from Saratoga Hospital staff, he did.  And my eyes welled up even more.  At first he stumbles, but gains his composure and with the assistance of a walker, he makes his way to family.

My guess is that it's the first time he's gotten this close to them in over a month.  The way he's greeted by his loved ones is a sight to behold.  No mask can cover up their emotions, it's plain to see.  Overcome with relief and pure joy, family got to touch, feel, and hug a man who may have been knocked around by the virus, but certainly not knocked out.

We've all been knocked around a bit in the past few months, some more than others, and each and every one of us has a story.  I don't know the entire story of Tom Cappelletti, but I do know this, it's :52 seconds of pure hope in a time when every precious second matters.