Thank You, Commissioner Portune by Ryan Adcock

Todd Portune was a storyteller. It’s no secret that hiscombination of wide-ranging expertise and equally broad passion often led tohim talk at great length to anyone within earshot. Because he was such aninstrumental leader in infant mortality reduction, I was lucky enough to hearmany of his stories over the past 7 years. I’m reflecting today on what a truegift that was.


The story Todd probably told me the most was the origin story of our shared work. The way he told it, he first became aware of our community’s high infant mortality rate in 2004 during a conversation with my father, Cincinnati’s Health Commissioner at the time. The two hatched a plan to work on the issue together shortly before my dad suddenly and unexpectedly died. Todd often called it “providence” that I would join him in this fight nearly a decade later. I realize that he had an important message for me in so frequently sharing this story - “You belong here.” It was such a generous reminder that, regardless of any self-doubt I felt, I was in the right place. 


Todd also frequently told me stories of failure. He rarely told the story of helping to found Cradle Cincinnati without sharing the years of false starts and frustrations that came before. The stereotypical political leader is always trying to paint themselves in the best light. But, Todd insisted on talking publicly about the times he did not get it right. It strikes me now that he saw that part of the journey as filled with lessons that we’d all be better off not to forget. Todd’s entire life shouted this same message – “Never give up when it gets hard – there are good things on the other side of the fight.”


There was also a story that he shared with me frequently in private, but that I rarely heard him discuss publicly – the story of just how frightened he was when his own daughter was in the NICU years ago. I think that experience was the true genesis of his passion for infant mortality reduction. While she thankfully survived, he had come close enough to losing a child that he gained this incredible empathy for everyone in our community who wasn’t so lucky. In meeting after meeting with him, Todd’s only interest was the outcomes for families. The story of his own experience was his was of saying “Don’t ever forget why we do this work.”


Without Todd Portune, Cradle Cincinnati would not exist. I’m thankful for his vision, for his perseverance, for his friendship. And I’m thankful for his many stories – they will help me see the way forward for years to come.  


Ryan Adcock is the Executive Director of Cradle Cincinnati.

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