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(slow music)
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There's kind of this, this life to caregiving.
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Sometimes it feels like a constant game of curve balls
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(laughs)
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We were in this alone
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and just trying to figure out everything
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and then him adjusting back to civilian life
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was just so challenging.
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There are sometimes I just didn't have answers.
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(narrator) Kara Benson of Cocoa Beach, Florida
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and Triza Smith, of Big Lake Minnesota,
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live hundreds of miles apart,
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but are close at heart.
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Both women are caregivers
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for their veteran husbands.
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Kara's husband, Eric,
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was an army combat engineer in Iraq.
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He sustained blast and chemical exposures
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and now suffers from a traumatic brain injury
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and degenerative neurological issues.
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He was injured in 2003.
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But to put into perspective,
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we didn't receive even a partially firm diagnosis
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until 2018.
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There were so many years of,
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this is wrong.
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And doctors saying,
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well you know,
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we don't know it's, it's in your head.
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(narrator) Triza's husband, Jason,
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also suffers from a traumatic brain injury
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after being injured in an IED blast
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in Afghanistan in 2009.
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I remember very vividly,
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just the hot embers falling
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and just the darkness turned into light,
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you know,
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and the feeling the concussion.
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I shrugged it right off,
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I was back to work within a day.
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(narrator) Their husbands returned from deployment
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changed men
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while their wives tried
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to pick up the pieces,
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suffering in silence themselves.
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As the stress of their new roles
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as caregivers took a toll.
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It was very isolating and very infuriating.
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And at that point in time,
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we didn't have a support network.
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We didn't have caregivers that I knew.
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I was just learning the system to help him out.
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And so it was
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so infuriating and so lonely
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to fight that fight.
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(narrator) But four years ago,
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that fight got a little less lonely
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with the creation of the Hidden Heroes Campaign
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by the Elizabeth Dole Foundation,
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providing veteran caregivers
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with the help and recognition they so deserve.
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Hidden Heroes connects caregivers
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to helpful resources and each other.
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Hidden Heroes has given me a voice,
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a sense of belonging.
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For me, it's been life changing.
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There is a camaraderie
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that comes in the darkest hours. (chuckles)
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Really.
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(narrator) And now both Theresa and Kara
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want to help light the way
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for other struggling caregivers.
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They have been selected
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to be Hidden Heroes fellows.
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An honor for 225 caregivers
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around the country
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to serve as allies
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for other caregivers,
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and give a voice to the voiceless.
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I'm not going to sugar-coat it,
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it's not going to be easy,
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you know.
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But that doesn't mean,
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because you fail sometimes
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doesn't mean that you know,
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you give up.
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Don't give up.
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Even if you have to take it
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minute by minute,
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step by step.
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Even if you cannot see the finish line.
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And know that you don't haveto do it alone.
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We'll be there to help you along when you need it.
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And it is our pleasure to be joined now
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by Triza and Jason Smith,
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Kara and Eric Benson
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and four other Hidden Heroes fellows
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and their families.
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We have the Poyer family,
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the Collins family,
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the Paven family
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and the Bristol family.
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And their heroes are here
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and now you know the true story,
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the caregivers are heroes too.
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Kara we just met you
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and heard a little bit
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about your story in the piece.
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What, how do you get up every day?
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Where do you fill your tank?
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Where do you find your,
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your resources to go forward every day
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even on the hard ones?
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I think getting the network
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has really helped me find the resources.
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Caregivers are a welcome information
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and the more you connect with each other,
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the more we can share that information.
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And filling my tank
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is taking those five minutes
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out of the day.
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Whether it be
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to connect with the caregivers,
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see how they're doing,
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connect to the friends,
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listen to music.
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Just a five minute checkout
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does absolutely wonders
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when you are caregiving
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for a husband and multiple children.
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(laughs)
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Yeah, you got your hands full.
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We say good morning to allthe whole family there.
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Let me get at Triza
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Triza, you and I have met
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over the years a few times.
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And, you know
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there are folks right now watching Triza
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who aren't sure if they should reach out.
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Who do feel alone, but feel a little nervous
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about taking a step.
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What has this meant to you
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and how would you encourage others?
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(balloon deflating)
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Reaching out myself,
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as a caregiver,
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God Has only empowered me.
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But has also given me the chance to own that,
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not only am I a mother,
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a husband,
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not a husband.
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(laughs)
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Not only I'm I a mother to my kids.
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I'm also a caregiver.
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That caregiver title has given me
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a voice
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that I can be able
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to help other caregivers to see
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that they're really not alone.
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And
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we're doing a good job
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taking care of,
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I mean, juggling everything it's not easy
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being a mother to these three kids,
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a wife and,
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(laughs)
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It's amazing.
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You guys are awesome.
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You have a voice all your kids have a voice.
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Everybody has a voice,
(laughter)
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Carson we have us a little surprise,
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don't we?
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Yes, we do and as a reminder,
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these are just six of the 225
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amazing Hidden Heroes fellows
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all across the country,
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and to help them do their work,
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our parent company Comcast
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is providing a brand new laptop
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to all 225 fellows.
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And for those who are eligible,
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your free internet service,
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Comcast is providing these gifts through
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their internet essentials program,
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the largest effort in the nation
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to close that digital divide.
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And we want to thank Dell Technologies
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for wrangling all the computers
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so 225 brand new laptops,
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that's going out to the fellows
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to help them out.
Yeah.
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What do you guys think?
What do you think?
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We're absolutely thankful.
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(joint laughs)
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Aww
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And we want to show a little extra love
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to the Poyer family,
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to Maggie and jack who were here,
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the Paben family,
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the Collins family,
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we see you too.
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So thank you
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for being with us this morning, guys.
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And Good luck tonight.
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Yeah
Yeah,
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The gala is going to be tonight.
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I hope everybody joins it virtually.
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We've got some incredible stories,
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including one that I brought you last year
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about a mom and a wife
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who's taking care of her veteran
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and they have a beautiful update.
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That's all I got to say.
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(laughs)
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So Cruz, Tom Hanks, Hillary Swank
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Whole bunch of folks.
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Yeah, its Tim McGraw.
Yeah.
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Eight o'clock eastern.
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That's right, eight o'clock eastern.
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If you want to register,
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go over to today.com.
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All the info is there.
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And thank you again to our beautiful family.
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For all you do.
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Can't wait to watch that tonight.