Marketing a Way of Life

​Lying in his hospital bed at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, knowing he might not go home again, George Smith still talks about the good luck he has had in his life. His family members, however, are not quite as sanguine as he is. They try, but they have their moments. Smith’s wife, Rose, spoke candidly about her husband’s condition and prognosis. But at one point, she stopped speaking, pinched the bridge of her nose, and took a few deep breaths. She plucked a tissue out of her sleeve, wiped her eyes, and continued.

“He talks in his sleep. He says ‘I’m coming, Brian. I’ll see you soon,’” Rose explained.

Smith was diagnosed with leukemia four years ago. Since then, he has been through every available treatment to try to beat the disease. None of the treatments have been effective in curing him, and in November 2018, his doctor told him and Rose that unless something miraculous happens, her husband would have from one to three months to live.

Smith is hoping for a miracle, but preparing for the worst, or the best, depending on how you look at it. He believes he will see his son, Brian, who died in August 2015, his parents, and his in-laws, in heaven soon.

Together, George and Rose explain how they have seen throughout the years strong signs of the presence of loved ones who have died. While they were driving home from Brian’s funeral in Florida, two Monarch butterflies landed on the windshield of their car--landed and paused without being splattered.

“Butterflies sitting on the windshield at 80 mph is physically impossible,” Smith stated calmly. They are convinced those two butterflies were Brian and Rose’s mother, who died not long before Brian, assuring George and Rose that everything would be okay.

Smith has spent much of his adult life in telemarketing, and now near the end of his life, he continues to market. Only now he is marketing his philosophy. He has come to be a strong believer in what he calls “good luck.” His version of good luck is a mixture of recognizing and seizing opportunity when it comes along and a strong belief in God.

Smith’s strength in the face of his diagnosis, and now his prognosis, is an inspiration. He is not only examining his past, he is also looking towards the future, dictating his life stories to his son, Chris. Smith believes most people do not recognize good luck when it happens. He has had plenty of good luck in his life, he said, and he wants to help people understand that good luck is an opportunity to be seized.

Just don’t ask him to tell stories while he is watching football. You might get shushed.

George and his son, Whitey, watching Sunday night football. As every fan knows, all football-watching involves at least some shouting at the screen.

11:30 PM, still watching Sunday night football. George was holding up better than Whitey.

George and his granddaughter, Maeve, engaging in a mutual admiration inspection.

Whitey, George, and Rose, ready for a shopping excursion.

On that scooter, George out-paced everyone.