SuperParents: The Real Caped Crusaders

With great power comes great responsibility, but that same level of responsibility also comes with having kids.

There are mothers and fathers out there who take this one step further and go the extra mile-and-a-half for their children. These are the parents who spend countless hours driving their kids to their extracurricular activities, going to every single performance or never miss a game.

And then there are the ones who fight for their children's lives.

Covering this town over the past year has given me the opportunity to meet some amazing mothers and fathers who deserve to be called “SuperParents” for the immeasurable effort they put into their children as they face life-threatening illness.

The first one I came across was the Dreher family and their son Gus, who was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy at the age of four. This debilitating disease has no cure and he is not expected to live past his twenties without one.

Next I met Paula Garvey, a mom on a mission to find a cure for her daughter Rosie’s cystic fibrosis. This is another disease with no cure and is fraught with health complications with each passing year.

Most recently I talked to Jennifer D'Auteuil and her son Drew, who spent years in isolation after he was diagnosed with Aplastic Anemia. Drew went through complications after a bone marrow transplant surgery that almost took his life.

Three children with three very serious diseases that bring their own struggles and challenges along with them. These families have gone through more than enough hardship as they have had to cope with the possibility of losing a loved one.

Hardships that would tempt most to give up and accept the inevitable. Challenges that seemed too great to overcome, and struggles that would be overbearing for even the strongest among us. These parents didn’t do any of this when they saw their children fighting for their lives.

They joined the fight.

These SuperParents have taken on the great task of doing everything in their power (and more) for not only their own children, but also for other families just like them.

The Dreher’s started the Hope For Gus Foundation to find a cure for DMD, and have teamed up with other organizations as they work to support other children and families. Paula Garvey and her family started Rosie’s Roses and are constantly finding ways to raise money and awareness for cystic fibrosis.

Jennifer D'Auteuil and her family went to great lengths to ensure Drew’s health through the worst of his disease, and now he is living a much healthier life after his transplant. Jennifer has written a book to raise awareness and hope called “Anatomy of a Miracle: Drew’s Story,” and is now part of a new campaign with the AA/MDS International Foundation.

To me, these SuperParents have gone above and beyond for the sake of their families, and trump the efforts of any comic book superhero. They don’t have the opportunity to take days off (or hide behind a secret identity) because losing the battle is not an option.

I truly admire these efforts because parenting is no walk in the park for anybody (just ask my parents how they got those grey hairs). There are no superpowers to rely upon when things take a turn for the worse, just a crazy amount of love and dedication for the ones they care about.

Thinking about these amazing SuperParents convinces me that the truest power in this world really is love. It can make people do incredible things for others and bring out their greatest strength in the worst of times.

These are just a few example of stories that truly matter in the big picture over any major criminal arrest or political controversy. They are the filled with shining examples of strength, hope and people coming together for a common cause.

And there are so many more out there just waiting to be told.

The Avengers may have a powerful Norse god and a big green guy who smashes things, but SuperParents are the ones who save the day, each day and every day. All these "caped crusaders" are missing is the cape, but we all know that is so 1938.