Another semester and year has begun, and with it comes the hope and goals of doing our best in all our endeavors. Some people have chosen to make New Year’s resolutions that will change the way they live their lives in 2010. I am one of them.

As the New Year approached, I sat down to think of ways I could improve myself for the next year, but nothing came to mind right away. I mean how do you improve on perfection? (I guess I could work on learning humility).

I began asking others what they looked forward to working on and got the same standard answers; eat healthier, budget better, work out daily, focus on school more and get organized. All of which I have resolved to do myself in past years. I was stumped.

I went on about my daily life, looking for anything that I could resolve to do when I was rocked by the news that one of our fellow students here at West Texas A&M was in the hospital dealing with major health concerns that threatened his life.

Hayden Link is a senior Broadcast Journalism major who looks forward to a future in sports journalism. He has been highly involved in the broadcast department during his tenure at WT. He has been a member of the Sports Team, The Live Crew (which covers all WT sporting events), The Unsportsmanlike Conduct Radio Show and the National Broadcasting Society. He was finishing his last semester of classes and looking forward to graduation, when he was stopped in his tracks.

Hayden was diagnosed with a large brain aneurysm in October. He was forced to leave school as his final semester dwindled down in order to have an 11-hour surgery in Dallas. Unfortunately, this procedure was unsuccessful.

Suddenly the worries of school and work were the least of his problems.

As news reached students and faculty of WT, the reactions fell into two categories, sadness and disbelief.

Maxine Ridling, president of NBS, described her reaction to the news. “It was devastating to hear that someone with such a warm heart was laid up in the hospital.”

Others reacted in dismay, “It stopped me,” said Dr. Leigh Browning, professor of Mass Communication and head of the Broadcasting Department at WT. “We often times view young kids as invincible, and when something happens like this, it makes us realize that so many things are more important than what we do here.”

He returned home to Amarillo where he kept people updated through Facebook, but eventually returned to Dallas. It was there that the doctors discovered he had a second aneurysm. The doctors could not remove these aneurysms but were able to stabilize them with two more procedures in December.

Hayden has since returned to work at KAMR Channel 4. He has resumed classes and looks to graduate this semester.

Recently the community has rallied around Hayden’s family as they look to take care of his mounting medical bills. The Hayden Link Benefit Fund has been established at Herring Bank with donations being received from many people in the area.

A local restaurant has lent a helping hand as well. Next Monday, a benefit is being held at Blue Sky, on the corner of I-40 and Western. Those who eat there and mention his name will have a percentage of their purchase donated to the Hayden Link Benefit Fund.

All of WT is invited to participate in this event. An invitation has been spreading through Facebook with great response. After seeing the response within the Communication department, Dr. Browning said, “It’s great to see the connections and bonds we make in this building. We often focus on the stresses of this place, but the relationships are the single most important thing.”

Indeed this is the most important thing. Thus, I have found my New Year’s resolution. It’s time I focus on others and create lasting relationships. I challenge everyone reading this to revise his or her resolutions for this year. In addition to the selfish goals of shedding pounds and saving money, I hope we all take the time to focus on others. Whether it’s helping another student with homework or volunteering at a homeless shelter. Even something as simple as eating a burger could show your support for a person in need.

I hope we can change from selfish to selfless in 2010. And to start this resolution I propose that we all start by enjoying a burger together next Monday.