When the Story Went Public

Someone asked me what I thought about the Washington Post article.

I realized my answer might offer some insight into the mental, emotional, and spiritual process of having your story told to the world—especially when you’ve spent two decades avoiding the spotlight.

So here it is.

Our kids and staff know—this is far from our comfort zone.
Harry and I have always preferred to serve with a brown paper bag over our heads.

But two months ago, a Washington Post correspondent called our patient hotline—not a media line, not a PR firm, but the number patients use every day. He was asking about solar panels, of all things. But as he listened, a much bigger story began to unfold.

We sensed that God was opening a door.
We’ve never been great at telling our story; we’ve always focused on the patient in front of us.
But this time felt different.
We felt peace about sharing.
“For such a time as this...”

The Waiting

Behind the scenes, I would be lying if I said the local press attacks haven’t been hard on me.
Waking up each morning not knowing what vitriol the mafia might serve as our daily bread has been… difficult—to put it gently.

When the Washington Post article was published, I told my family and closest friends:
I can’t read it first.
I asked them to read it and let me know if there was anything I needed to be prepared for.

I knew the moment it was published because one person said it and then everyone grabbed their devices.

I sat outside—on the deck, in the chair where my mom used to sit every morning to pray and read the Bible with my dad when they lived here.
And I waited there in peace.

About 20 minutes later, they came back one by one with the same message:
“It’s balanced. It’s objective. It’s fair.”

I’m too close to be fully objective, but I agree.
As one team member put it: “There were a thousand needles to thread—and somehow, they were.”

The Storyteller

The journalist has been with the Post for 15 years.

He stayed professional and neutral throughout—even paying for his own meals at the campus. He never took advantage of access. He just listened carefully, fact-checking and fact-checking and fact-checking (a breath of fresh air!), and wrote what he saw and heard.

The Picture (Yes, That One)

And speaking of the kids—they had a lot to say about our very serious (or as the photographer put it, “reflective”) faces in the photo.

The kids had a great time mimicking our straight faces and teasing us afterward.

A Word of Thanks

We want to thank Chico Harlan and The Washington Post.

“Thank you for the thoughtful care and tenderness you brought to this story. This has been such a fulfilling and complex journey—and recent experiences with the press locally have made moments like this especially difficult.

But your efforts have brought back a sense of hope:
In objectivity.
In balance.
In thoughtfulness.
And that means a great deal.

Many of our team, family, and friends have shared how balanced, insightful, and fair the article is. They felt it offered a clear-eyed presentation of both the successes and the challenges—and helped shine a light on the complexities and joy that have defined this journey.

After five years filled with both our greatest victories and our deepest pain, this felt like a moment of relief. I’m deeply grateful for the integrity with which you approached this assignment—not just for us, but for many who are suffering and watching with both heartbreak and hope.”

For Those Who’ve Walked With Us

We still feel peace. And we still believe it was God who released us to speak.
For that, I’m deeply grateful.

If you’ve journeyed with us—some since our childhood when we felt the calling that led to this story—I wanted to share this deeply private, yet now very public, moment with you.

Thank you to everyone for your prayers, your kindness, your messages, and your love.

We’re still here. And we’re still walking forward.

With all my heart,
— Echo

This article originally appeared in The Washington Post and is shared here for informational and educational purposes only.
All rights belong to The Washington Post.