Several weeks ago, I shared a portion of Hannah’s Story with Jim Schneider of VCY America by email and I also shared a copy of the Hannah Story Tract too. After reading those two things, he reached out to me to discuss my being on his Crosstalk program with him, as a guest. A few days later we had an hour-long phone call and he asked me when I would be available to speak. I told him that I preferred to do it this first week of November, since it’s Hannah’s birthday and the one-year anniversary of her passing. He graciously agreed and asked if we could do it on the third, Hannah’s birthday. I said, “Yes” and then he asked if I wanted to do it by phone or if I preferred to come into the studio. I told him that I thought that it would be best if I just came and spoke with him in person rather than risking cell phone connection issues. That was just fine with him, so that’s what we did yesterday.
The topic of Hannah’s loss is obviously something very personal to me, but it’s also very familiar. There really was no “studying” for the interview. I mean, besides living the nightmare, the story of that week still keeps us up at night and it’s on our minds throughout the day. Although I couldn’t really study and prepare more for the interview, I did type up a rather lengthy outline of the week that everything happened, and I sent it to Jim so that he could familiarize himself with the whole situation. This was my first opportunity doing something like this, and I really didn’t quite know what to expect. Janean and I got to the studio a half an hour early so that we could meet with Jim before the interview and get a better feel for how everything was all going to work. He met with us, and we talked about Hannah and “Her Story.” He told us that one of their staff members has a son at MBU, so they got word of her accident almost immediately, and they were praying for Hannah and for us in their morning prayer meeting right from the beginning.
After our introductory meeting, we walked to the studio. Janean opted to sit with the producer and watch the interview “through the glass.” Jim made a few adjustments to my chair and to the microphone, then he sat down to look over his notes. He casually mentioned that there are around one hundred and fifty stations that carry the VCY America Crosstalk program and I tried to just limit my mind to just him and I in the studio, but a minute or so later the lead in music began to play and my heart began to race. I really hadn’t been nervous up until that point because our loss has honestly left me with a certain amount of “deadness and numbness” to a lot of things. As my heart started going, my mind began racing, my mouth got dry, and my throat seemed to tighten up too. Jim did a great introduction and throughout our whole time with him, his professionalism really shined through. I had grown up hearing Jim’s voice on the radio, so as he began speaking, it was just like listening to the radio. In fact, he was doing so well that I thought that he could just keep speaking for the both of us! When my turn came, I wasn’t sure what was going to come out of my mouth, but I just did my best and the interview began. Again, with his familiar voice through the headphones, it did feel a lot like listening to and then talking to the radio, even though he was sitting right there in front of me.
As we began, I really didn’t know how much time I had to answer each question because some questions require more explanation than others. Since the whole situation with Hannah is so deeply scarred into my mind, it can be hard to just “sum things up.” As he asked the questions, my mind would race about how I would answer in an understandable way, but without it becoming too detailed and too lengthy. When giving brief answers, I always feel that the recipient does get an answer, but they really don’t understand what that answer actually means. (This could also be why my posts are lengthy) But this again is where Jim’s professionalism really was a blessing. He understood the breadth of the story, and he kept things moving. Prior to us going live, I told him that I was going to need to rely on him to keep the interview “on schedule.” Although an hour seemed like it should be enough time to tell her story, it quickly became apparent that one hour was really way too short. The minutes flew past and before I knew it, we were already at the first break. I took a sip of water, we spoke a little bit, then the music started and we got right back to it. As we got into discussing the events of last November, I began to calm down and “settle in” more. That time period is so significant to us that everything before her nineteenth birthday seems hard to remember. Throughout the rest of our time together, I really appreciated the opportunity to be in the studio with Jim face to face. I could watch his eye, gestures, and mannerisms. These are the unspoken things that were really guiding me in knowing when to say more or when to stop so that we could get through the whole story. At the first break I told him that time was flying by, and he mentioned that I could check with the clock on the wall, but I told him that my eyes were on him and that I probably couldn’t afford any distraction.
Rook is a card game that we have enjoyed playing as a family. I’m sure that just like other team card games, there’s always a certain amount of wondering as to when to actually play some of your cards, especially at the beginning of the game. With the fear of playing something “too early”, I tend to want to hold on to some of those cards until “just the right time.” But often, holding on too long can end up resulting in losing that card to the other team. That was similar to how I felt yesterday. With so much to say, as Jim led our conversation, there were times that I wasn’t sure if I should share something or if I needed to hold on to it for a more opportune point in the conversation. Despite the nerves and my tight voice, I survived the hour, and we felt that overall, I was able to share most of the significant aspects of Hannah’s Story. Of course, there are always things that I wish that I could have said better and other things that I wish that I had not “held on to” for so long that I never even mentioned them. Those first few questions about who Hannah was are always the toughest. When you lose someone so close, it can be very difficult to feel like you can adequately explain that life in only a few words. Telling stories is the easiest way to give people a better understanding and “feel” of who she was, but that can take too much time. Inside it’s really hard to not want to just say, “You just really needed to know her” and skip right to her last birthday with us. I do wish that I could have mentioned that her hard work in school and at her jobs led to her starting her first semester on campus as a second semester sophomore and with enough money saved to pay for her four-year degree. I also do wish that I could have had more time to share about our work with allergy awareness and preparedness. I wish that I could have shared about our meeting with two of our recipients and the unique opportunity that we have to be friends with Abby. I wish that I could have shared about the transfer of Hannah’s love for hot chocolate to Abby through the organ donation. Well, I suppose that second guessing and regrets are always going to be there. I know that I’m not a great speaker, but since losing Hannah, we have realized that it’s better to try and to do our best than it is to wait until everything is “perfect” and have had the opportunity pass us by. The fear of failure or embarrassment is real, but we told God that if He provided us an opportunity, we would take it. Hopefully He and Hannah shine through Her Story and that our weaknesses and imperfections are overshadowed by the significance of what we have to share. God chooses imperfect people so that He gets the glory. Any “success” Hannah Helps has clearly won’t be because we are exceptionally talented or even remotely qualified. It will only be because He has a larger plan and purpose. We only need to be willing to go where He leads and do what He asks. The results are up to Him.
As I mentioned at the beginning of the interview, a good night’s sleep is something that we lost with Hannah’s passing. The writing of this post began at that familiar time of 2 AM after lying awake in bed with my mind racing. Yesterday would have been Hannah’s twentieth birthday. We never dreamed one year ago that instead of celebrating with family, friends, and a special homemade cake this year, that we would be on VCY America paying tribute to the work of the Lord in the life of our daughter, Hannah Marie Glass. It was a special time, and it certainly was a silver lining on an exceptionally dark cloud. We are thankful for the great staff that we were able to meet yesterday at the VCY America studio, and we are thankful for all their prayers for us throughout this journey. We are also most thankful for Jim Schneider being so gracious and allowing us the opportunity to share Hannah’s Story with his listeners around the world. He was sympathetic and compassionate. He made us feel at ease and comfortable. He wanted to honor the Lord and Hannah just as much as we did. He prepared by taking the time to understand Hannah’s Story in the days leading up to the interview. He allowed me to share as much as I could, but he also provided the guidance and experience that I needed. He asked the right questions and even filled in some of the blanks. He is a “real” person, not just a familiar voice, and he is also a professional. I guess that sometimes you need to go to work with someone to really see what it is that they really do! Thank you Jim Schneider! Thank you VCY staff! And thank you to all who listened to Hannah’s Story! If you were not able to hear this broadcast, here is a link to hear in on their website: https://www.vcy.org/crosstalk/2025/11/03/a-tribute-to-hannah-glass-one-life-lived-many-lives-changed/
Even on these hard days we can clearly see that,
We are blessed.
Hannah Helps 