Ruth Cocker Burks, image by Brian Chilson (from Out Magazine’s Website)
The photo above is of Ruth Cocker Burks.
Ruth is the altruistic woman who cared for gay men dying with AIDS in the 1980s in Little Rock, Arkansas, USA. It started when she was at University Hospital visiting a friend who had cancer. At the time she was 25 years old with a young family.
One day she saw a door to a patient’s room with a big red bag over it. Inside was a gay man dying of AIDS. Nobody came to visit him. He was asking for his mother. So Burks called his mother. His mother told Burks that being gay had brought shame on the family. His family didn’t want to know. Even the healthcare staff treated him as cursed. So Burks cared for him. She visited him in hospital and when he finally passed away she buried him.
Burks then went on to give this end-of-life care to hundreds of gay men and to bury at least three dozen herself. Luckily for Burks, her mother had bought 262 plots in a graveyard when she was younger due to a colossal family argument. This meant that Burks has plenty of space for the burials.
From the bottom of my heart and on behalf of those gay men, I just want to say: Thank you Ruth Cocker Burks. Nobody deserves to die alone, afraid and without care or love.
Burks believes that a higher power led her to her destiny of caring for these gay men dying with AIDS. I don’t know if that’s true or not. But what I do know is that Burks’ actions represents the very best aspects of humanity: care, compassion, kindness and love.
Burks is an inspirational woman and I wish we could all be more altruistic, meaning that we care for the well-being of others more.
Back in 2008, I wrote a blog post about People that inspire me. I could add so many people to that blog post.
But instead I decided to look at the qualities in people that inspire me. Here’s my list of qualities that those people display:
Accepting.
Authentic.
Balanced in their thinking.
Battle their inner demons.
Believe in fairness and equality.
Brings joy to others.
Can have a presence on entering a room or blend into the background in social situations.
Captivating Story Teller.
Careful in their actions.
Cares about others.
Comfortable with themselves.
Confident yet humble.
Connects emotionally with others.
Creative.
Describes their own thoughts & feelings through words well.
Determined.
Diplomatic.
Dislikes injustice.
Empathetic.
Enthusiastic.
Flawed.
Funny.
Generous.
Good communicator.
Has others following them.
Honesty.
Humorous.
Independent.
Influences others.
Intelligent.
Is a Collaborator.
Is a Doer.
Is a Dreamer.
Is Grateful.
Kindness.
Knows when, who and why to ask for help.
Makes others feel comfortable.
Makes others laugh.
Motivational.
Non-judgemental.
Occasional vulnerable.
One-step ahead of others.
Open minded.
Optimistic.
Passionate.
Patient.
Positive.
Relaxed in new situations.
Self-aware.
Sensitive.
Shares their Knowledge and wisdom.
Sincere.
Stands up for the rights of others.
Supports & helps others.
Unconventional.
Values community.
Vibrant.
Wants a better society for all.
Wants others to reach their potential.
Willing to fight for a cause.
Wise.
Works hard.
I’m sure there’s many other qualities that could be added to the list. I also know that as well as people, many other things inspire me. Things such as music, books, films, paintings, nature, animals and expressions of love to name but a few.
What qualities do you admire in the people that inspire you? Feel free to share by leaving a comment below.
