Bob Delaney - Heroes Are Human: Lessons in Resilience, Courage, and Wisdom from the COVID Front Lines

HEROES
are human

Advance Praise forHeroes are Human

With Heroes are Human, Bob Delaney has expertly captured the echoes of the COVID crisis long reverberating after our beleaguered healthcare workers go home to their families. This book is urgently needed to prevent the isolation that our colleagues feel and to offer them strategies for self-healing.

Dr. Sarah Hoffe, senior member, Moffitt Cancer Center; professor, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida

The news Bob Delaney brings to those dealing with post-traumatic stress and those of us who care for them, is poignant, well earned, up-to-date, and maybe lifesaving. He understands that we become more fully human, more ourselves, when we share our own challenges and hard-won wisdom with those who need it most.

James S. Gordon, MD, author of Transforming Trauma: The Path to Hope and Healing

Over the last three decades, Bob has set a standard of excellence for NBA referees. From officiating the NBA Finals to training the next generation of NBA officials to his work with post-traumatic stress, everything he does is about leadership, service and integrity.

Adam Silver, NBA commissioner

If we do not learn from this shared global trauma, we put ourselves in immense danger. This book is a profound documentation of how we must never forget that heroes are human, trauma is real, and we must keep learning.

Dr. Amy Silver, psychologist, author of The Loudest Guest: How to Change and Control Your Relationship with Fear

The stories in Heroes Are Human shine a light on extraordinary individualsdoctors, nurses, health care workers and first respondersand help us truly understand the meaning of service above self.

Todd Rose, co-founder and president of Populace, author of The End of Average and Collective Illusions

Bob Delaney understands the trauma of war, of life, of putting yourself in harms way for the greater good. Whether our enemy is invisible or clearly defined, our frontline responders absorb profound trauma that needs processing needs healing.

Dr. Brian Hainline, NCAA chief medical officer, clinical professor of neurology, Indiana University School of Medicine, New York University Langone Medical Center

Bob has an incredible ability to share perspectives on and experiences with trauma in an authentic and personal way. His life experiences connect with so many people and shine throughout Heroes Are Human.

Jason Sada, CEO, Sports Academy Venture Lab

Bob Delaney, bringing together heroism and humanity, undermines toxic masculinity. Amidst suffering and need, he shows how courageous an empathic response can be.

Jillian M. Stile, PhD, co-chair, Fellowship Program, The Columbia University Center for Psychoanalytic Training & Research

Bob Delaney is putting a voice to everything we lay in bed at night and think about. Heroes are Human will be a reference for years to come. In a world where nothing feels safe anymore, you can find comfort in in the pages of this book knowing you are not alone.

Magen Rainey Moore, RN, emergency medical first responder

Heroes are Human should be required reading for any person touched by trauma and those who care about them. This is the right book at the right time.

Maureen Bowser, RN, MSN family nurse practitioner

Everything Bob Delaney touches is better off for his presence. He is the right leader to deliver this message of hope and resilience to the first responders who have stood on the front lines of this terrible global pandemic for nearly three years.

Jeffrey R. Docking, PhD, president, Adrian College

Bob has an incredibly modest, compassionate, respectful and human approach in addressing trauma. Heroes are Human sheds light on the importance of humanizing the warriors, the heroes, and the resilient.

Pascale E. Nakhl, MA, former clinician at the American University of Beirut Medical Center

Heroes are Human shines a critical light on the COVID-19 frontline workers and provides them with hope to carry on. With this book, Bob Delaney not only embraces their pain, but provides them the skills needed to forge ahead today and for years to come. A must-read for all frontline workers!

Katharine De Santos, MA, registered psychotherapist and clinic director, Toronto, Canada.

As a mental health professional and advocate, I see Bob as a torchbearer blazing the trail at all times and now sharing light with Heroes are Human.

Taiwo Lateef Sheikh, professor of psychiatry, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria.

Our nation needs the courage and wisdom of Bob Delaney as never before. A national treasure, Bob has given our generation the courage to endure tremendous trauma and not only survive but thrive!

Bonnie Carroll, president and founder, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient

Ive long admired Bob Delaney, first for his work as an NBA official for many seasons, but his story runs so much deeper than that. His heart for those who have defended our country is evidenced by his tireless work for Wounded Warriors, and now hes shining a spotlight on those frontline workers who have selflessly responded to the overwhelming challenge of a pandemic. We need a book like Heroes are Humans and Bob Delaney has delivered.

Ernie Johnson, Jr., studio host, Inside the NBA (TNT) and author of Unscripted: The Unpredictable Moments that Make Life Extraordinary

HEROES are human

Lessons in Resilience, Courage, and Wisdom from the COVID Front Lines

Bob Delaney

with Dave Scheiber

Foreword by Dr. Richard Mollica,

Harvard Global Mental Health

CITY POINT PRESS 2022

Copyright 2022 by Robert J. Delaney

All rights reserved.

No portion of this book may be reproduced in any fashion, print, facsimile, or electronic means, or by any method yet to be developed, without the express written permission of the publisher.

Cover design by Susan Spangler

Cover photo credits L-R: iStock.com/Adene Sanchez, iStock.com/Rich Legg, iStock.com/NYC Shooter, iStock.com/Valentin Russanov, iStock.com/Rich Legg

Author photo by Clay Benfield/ Clayviation Photography & Films

Book design by Barbara Aronica-Buck

Hardcover ISBN 978-1-947951-54-9

eBook ISBN 978-1-947951-55-6

Printed in the United States of America

Published by

City Point Press

PO Box 2063

Westport, CT 06880

(203) 571-0781

www.citypointpress.com

Heroes Are Human is dedicated to all those who serve or have served in the COVID-19 fight. It is for health-care workersnurses, doctors, and hospital staff at all levelsalong with first responders, pharmacists, and essential workers from all walks of life. And it is for their families, who have watched their loved ones face a relentless storm of trauma and despairrisking their lives to save ours. This book is meant to honor their sacrifices and acknowledge the pain they have endured, which many carry with them. Not all wounds bleed, and invisible wounds may hurt as much as the wounds we see. Thank you for serving, and hopefully this book is a step toward healing.

Bob Delaney,

February 2022

1. Director, Harvard Global Mental Health
2. Maternity Care Nurse Emily Grace
3. Military Psychologist Dr. Michael Matthews, U.S.M.A., West Point