A Journalist in Need

A Photo of Meadow is in Rocky Mountain News slideshow.
See Photo No. 35 by Judy DeHaas at this link*

Please keep journalist James B. Meadow in your thoughts this weekend.

Meadow, a writer for more than 25 years at Denver's recently shuttered Rocky Mountain News, is reported to have been badly injured Friday in a bicycle accident.

Jeremy Story, a Denver PR professional, has posted online the text of an email from one of Meadow's friends, Brad Bawmann, who appears to have been the first person contacted by emergency responders.

Here's a portion of Bawmann's e-mail, as posted by Story:

Early Friday afternoon, James crashed during a bicycle jaunt at Chattfield Reservoir. I suspect he was celebrating the completion of his hardscrabble work for renowned photographer John Fielder and their upcoming book about Colorado’s ranching royalty.

Moments before James jumped on his bike, he wanted to read to me one last version of how the Salazar family profile should end. After hearing both versions, I told James he was Picasso with words and to stop fretting the difference. Beautiful either way, I cared less what ending he settled upon but asked that he continue to write — even without his day job at the Rocky.

Then, around 5-o’clock in the evening, I received a call from the emergency department at Swedish Medical Center. Did I know whose phone this was they were using to call me from? Beats me, I said, you’re calling me. Back and forth we went..someone was hurt and they didn’t know who it was..with a little help from Verizon we discovered that it was James.

James had been in a terrible accident, twice revived and air-lifted to the trauma center. This morning James lies in critical and unstable condition at Swedish with tubes and monitors and chords wrapped around his bruised body. As family and friends gather we hope and pray for a miracle.

So I ask you, whether you know James or not, whether you’ve read his daily glimpses into human life or not, whether you are a faithful person or not, give me this one prayer for James. Heal his seemingly insurmountable injuries. Let his life continue, selfishly, so that we may read more of his mindful observations and raucous ruminations and that our friendship will live another day.

Read the entire e-mail at Denver Public Relations Blog.

And think good thoughts for James B. Meadow.

* Photo pictured in screen grab is by Judy DeHaas, Rocky Mountain News.

** Cross posted at Know Newspapers.

— TJ Sullivan in LA