There are tons of stories you won't hear or see about Sen. Kerry on the national news, and they're really some of our favorites. A lot of them are about his connection to individuals, which, I guess, makes them not 'newsworthy'. Still, we like them, and this week I found another to add to our 'favorite stories about Senator Kerry'.

Most of them seem to be about his connection to the men and women who have fought in Iraq and Afghanistan, like the one about the Senator meeting a soldier on a plane and taking him to a Red Sox game, or pinning on a soldier's Purple Heart at Fenway, or keeping a missing soldier's wife from being deported, or about Native American veteran John Around Him's plea for student aid.

Another of our favorite stories is one I recall reading on Daily Kos about the writer's encounter in Seattle with a Latino couple and their little boy, Kerry.

"His mother and I, we named him after John Kerry. Do you know of him?"

Not news, but it's one of those anecdotes that reflects the impact of the Senator's life and work.

The story about Sen Kerry saving the life of GOP Sen. Chic Hecht is a good one. It was 1988, and did make news at the time. I don't imagine when someone's choking to death, their political leanings are a consideration. What did matter was the Senator's ability to assess and react to the situation, and give Sen. Hecht nearly twenty years that he otherwise wouldn't have had.

They are the stories about the Senator who rides in the Pan Mass Challenge for the Jimmy Fund, and the Best Buddies Challenge for the disabled. Not because it's something Senators do, really, but something people do, even if they happen to be Senators.

My latest favorite is about Taeomi Martyn Dooley and why she stopped when she happened upon the Senator in Lowell the other day.

Kerry's walking companions were mostly politicians. But the senator gave his feet a rest when an excited constituent flagged him down.

Westford resident Taeomi Martyn Dooley was driving down Middlesex Street at about 11 a.m. when she saw the cluster of Kerry signs. She immediately pulled over.

In September 2000, Martyn Dooley's son, Trebor, was diagnosed with medulloblastoma, a fast-growing and typically fatal brain tumor. His dream was to see Air Force One up close and personal, and Kerry helped make it happen.

In 2002, Trebor used crutches and a wheelchair to get around the world's most famous plane.

Kerry took Martyn Dooley's hands and said hello. She thanked the senator again for giving her son a "life-changing" experience when he needed it most. Trebor is 21 now and enrolled in classes at Middlesex Community College.

"He took the time to do something really special for Trebor," Martyn Dooley said. "Trebor will have that forever."

These are not the stories we see on the national news, although maybe we should, from time to time. They're a lot more interesting than the latest escapades of the celebrity du jour. They're the kind of story that lets us remember that there are people out there, helping other people. Not because we elected them to, but just because they do. Even when they know it's not something we're ever going to see on CNN.

Update: I accidentally deleted the story credit while editing. Thanks and apologies to the Lowell Sun.