On the heels of Memorial Day, it is fitting that we honor an American hero who fought a very different kind of battle. Marshall Allen, an award-winning investigative journalist and book author who earlier this month died suddenly of a heart attack at the age of 52, embodied the definition of hero: “a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.” He also was a friend who inspired not only myself, but so many of my peers.
We hit it off from our first hello. We were both passionate about the same things, coming from two different sides of the passion track. Marshall dedicated his life to helping people as a result of the injustices he saw in the U.S. healthcare system. Many of them faced financial ruin, including my own family, which filed for personal bankruptcy when I was growing up because of staggering medical bills. These facts instantly bonded us.
