I Am One of the Luckiest People Alive

13 Dec 2021

Tuesday February 4, 2020 at 9 a.m. the phone rang. It was President Trump. “Rush! What are you doing later today?”

“I have a serious medical procedure at 5.”

“What’s the doctor’s name? I want to call him and have him delay it because I need you down here tonight. It’s going to be great!” He invited me to be his guest at the State of the Union.

I tried to tell him “no.” But in Donald Trump’s world, there simply is no “can’t.” Kathryn and I figured that out, and all the logistics fell into place.

We sat down in the House Gallery at 8:30 p.m. All the Republicans were looking up and waving, thumbs up. A wave of warmth swept over me. I couldn’t believe that it all came together — and then, this happened. The President said:

Almost every American family knows the pain when a loved one is diagnosed with a serious illness. Here tonight is a special man, beloved by millions of Americans, who just received a stage 4, advanced cancer diagnosis. This is not good news. But what is good news is that he is the greatest fighter and winner that you will ever meet. Rush Limbaugh, thank you for your decades of tireless devotion to our country. And, Rush, in recognition of all that you have done for our nation — the millions of people a day that you speak to and that you inspire, and all of the incredible work that you have done for charity — I am proud to announce tonight that you will be receiving our country’s highest civilian honor: the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Now, I thought this was coming in a couple of weeks in the Oval Office. The Medal had never been awarded this way in American history. My mom and dad would not have believed it. Of all the things you think might happen to you, this is not one of them. I am one of the luckiest people alive.