Heartache follows call to duty

Heartache follows call to duty
Monday, April 11, 2011

SALISBURY — When Mo Hopper is out running errands, she likes to say she’s killing rats.

Last week, she was killing a lot of rats, putting the finishing handiwork on a surprise going-away party for her husband, Tim, who will be leaving Saturday for a year’s deployment in Iraq.

Tim, 55 and silver-haired, commands a Black Hawk helicopter unit for the Army National Guard in Salisbury, and he’ll be leading its Iraqi mission. He says he has no worries about the wartime job because he’ll be with soldiers he has complete trust in.

The toughest thing for Tim is leaving Mo behind. She continues to battle a blood and bone marrow disease — MPD, for short — that doctors have said will eventually claim her life.

Mo deflects any concerns about herself — the progression of the disease varies considerably from person to person — and says she has a great support system at home with her friends and military family.

“We definitely do not want Tim worrying about anything here,” she says. “He needs to go — for country, family and God.”

Despite dealing with pain around the clock, Mo remains a fireball. She runs her own business — Hopper’s Quick Bite, a food service at area auctions through the week.

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Heartache follows call to duty