(upbeat music) - Hello, I'm Portia Young.

Welcome to another edition of 10thirtysix here on Milwaukee PBS.

In this episode, we'll revisit two young friends who have written a series of books about kids with cancer, including a new one they're working on.

And they're getting some national recognition too.

Plus, a beautiful American dream story told through a family photo album and a special former Milwaukee PBS colleague.

And some talented students from Milwaukee's Notre Dame Middle School share the sounds of the holiday season.

We are in the heart of the holiday season.

And many of you may still be waiting for your gift order to arrive.

That might have to do with the national truck driver shortage that's contributed to the backed up supply chain issue.

MATC's truck driving program is trying to speed things up now and for the future.

- What appeals to me when it comes to working in the transportation industry, is being on the open road.

I actually do like to drive.

- [Portia] 29-year-old, Dennis Bynum, is a student enrolled in Milwaukee area technical college's truck driver training program.

- I chose truck driving because of my maintenance man.

He actually works for the city and he told me that they had a lot of openings.

So, I decided to go ahead and get my CDL.

But by the time I got here in school, I learned that there are a lot more jobs than just the city.

- [Portia] He wants to be able to support his future family.

- Right now, I'm only doing a security.

You know, I make $15 an hour, you know, which is a decent, you know, it's a living wage, but I'm recently married and I want to make more money.

I don't have any children now, but I plan on having children.

And in order for me to be able to support a family, I'm going to have to get a better job.

- [Portia] He also hopes he can be part of the solution to an ongoing supply chain problem.

- There's a lot of opportunity right now, essentially because there's a huge deficit.

- [Portia] West coast ports continue filling up with goods arriving from overseas.

A nationwide truck driver shortage means those goods sit at the ports, waiting to be picked up.

Many of those goods may not reach their destinations as quickly as in the past.

And that could impact this holiday season.

Associate director of UWM's Supply Chain Management Institute, Mark Kosfeld, says the delays are a result of an imbalance between supply and demand.

- As we're moving product from our suppliers through manufacturing and then out to our end customers, it works best where there's a balance of supply and demand amongst all of those stages.

And what we've seen, recently, over these last 18 months is a huge imbalance.

Some of the inconsistencies have happened, starting with the overseas ports.

Some of the factories shut down due to the coronavirus for a few weeks.

The ports had outbreaks.

They had to shut down.

And so, we saw periods of time where no freight was leaving some of these overseas ports.

Well, the freight still needed to move.

So, once the ports and the factories were back up and running, now, you saw that that huge bubble come through.

- [Portia] Adding to the problem is the truck driver shortage, which he says began over 10 years ago.

- [Mark] Back up to The Great Recession, 2007 through 2010, roughly, we had all kinds of trucking bankruptcies.

There wasn't enough freight moving for these trucking companies to stay in business.

So, the truck drivers shortage really started back in about 2010, 2011, and then it's grown and it's gotten worse.

And then, with people stayin' home, people buying products online, that has continued to cause the need for additional truck drivers.

- [Portia] And according to the American Trucking Associations, U.S. truck drivers are quitting their jobs, looking for better wages, benefits, and working conditions.

The industry is struggling to hire new drivers due to long hours and lengthy periods away from home.

- Think about how do you got to do you pull up right now.

- [Portia] MATC's truck driving program instructor, Dan Zdrojewski, says truck driving job opportunities are plentiful.

- Nationally, we are probably approaching a hundred thousand drivers being short.

A year ago, we were about 60,000.

So, the demand is high.

The COVID environment has not helped at all.

There was a reduction in drivers, but not so much of the existing drivers, but the new drivers coming in.

A lot of the DMVs across the country closed down.

New drivers couldn't test.

They couldn't get their permits.

They couldn't take their road tests.

Schools were shut down, couldn't train any drivers.

So, we lost almost an entire year of supply of drivers coming into the industry.

Now, come back to your left.

Enrollment's been fantastic.

Probably the number one reason that I've been hearing from students why they want to get involved in trucking, currently, right now, is money.

When they graduate our program, right now, I would say the average for our students is probably around $68,000 a year.

- I know truck drivers make good money and I'm like, okay, well, that could be me.

- Right now, less than 10% of all the drivers that are out there that hold a CDL are women.

Turn your wheel to the right.

If we can increase those numbers, that can also help us offset the shortage that's out there.

- [Portia] Carla Nelson enrolled in the truck driving program after her academic advisor recommended it.

- The last time I watched the news, they was talking about how it was a shortage in truck drivers and how like for Christmas, like stuff is gonna be going out of stock quick and they need more truck drivers.

Honestly, I'm really excited about doing a truck driving program because I know there's a whole lot of demand out there.

- [Portia] A demand that has filled Dan Zdrojewski's classrooms.

He says, once the students successfully complete the program, they will have earned their commercial driver's license and will receive multiple job offers.

- I don't know when that demand for training will stop, but right now we can't take any more students than we currently have.

And there's more and more knocking on the door every single day.

Hey, nicely done.

- [Portia] Student, Dennis Bynum, says after he graduates, he's looking forward to being out on the open road and doing his part to fix the truck driver shortage.

- [Dennis] Everything is just one step at a time, right?

So, you know, you build a wall, one brick at a time.

So, with me stepping into this role, that's one less job that needs to be filled.

- American Dreams is a new Milwaukee PBS initiative we launched in September.

We have an American dream story told by someone special to this show, our long-time director, Raul Galvan, who recently retired.

He shares a bit on his journey from Cuba and his thoughts on the American dream.

(guitar music) - Here's my 30-year-old dad, a very young 28-year-old mother.

Our existence in Havana was I think what you'd refer to as middle-class.

The American dream was alive in Cuba.

Everyone wanted to get their American car.

They were using American products.

You might say we were living the Cuban dream.

I was an only child.

I didn't have any brothers or sisters.

Our life was comfortable.

All of a sudden, this political situation went south.

We left school April of '61 because the Bay of Pigs invasion.

I could see the tracer bullets flying from my aunt's balcony around the corner.

They're faced with the prospect of having a eight, nine-year-old kid raised in Communist country.

For us, we basically pursued the American dream because we had to, we had no choice because the Cuban dream isn't going to work for them anymore.

So, it's September of 1961, I get put on a plane and sent to the U.S. to live with one of those aunts that, you know, you see maybe once a year.

I chuckle when I see these pictures because I'm wearing this little hat and those were the hats that were worn by Castro's army people.

I had that cap everywhere.

My parents didn't want to leave their country, but I think they felt that in order for me to live free and to be able to achieve the most, I was gonna have to be sent to the U.S.

Arriving in Miami was, you know, was sort of adventurous.

Was a little bit scary because of, you know, you were staying with someone that you didn't know real well.

They left the year after I did, and they had nothing.

They arrived in this country with a few change of clothes.

And the only thing that the government allowed them to bring was a bottle of rum and a box of cigars that they could sell and generate some money.

And, you know, it wasn't just us.

There were a bunch of other Cubans that were also pursuing their American dreams.

I've asked my mom on a number of occasions what it was like.

And she is every bit as convinced today, you know, 60 years later that it was not only the right thing to do, but the only thing to do.

She says, what, you know, what was I gonna do, leave you here and live in communism?

Those were tough days for them.

Way more than me.

You know, I think the beauty of this country is that it allows you, first of all, it welcomes you.

We arrived in '61 and I think by '65, '66, we had become citizens.

And here we are all together again.

How big a part of your American dream that first house is.

(guitar music) I was taken from a Latin American urban environment, relocated to Moline, Illinois, which is a little town on the Mississippi river.

They had it tough, they had it tough.

We lived in this old house.

There was really no Spanish spoken away from home, you know, and there was a change in culture.

There was a change in weather, snow for the first time in my life.

I think that move to Moline was very difficult.

My American dream was, you know, I think I had visions of being a major league baseball player.

And when I realized that my athletic talents were not gonna get me there, then it was a career that sort of went side-by-side with sports.

My parents always said, you can do whatever you want after you graduate from college.

And so, I registered at Iowa State University, majoring in engineering.

I lasted two years in engineering and then went to radio, TV, and film 'cause I found out that there was a career behind the cameras that no one had ever told me about and I could begin to do that.

All these little passport pictures that are in this book.

The continuing pursuit of my American dream included pursuing my connections with the island in light of the fact that, you know, I had never been there since I left.

(guitar music) This is my grandmother whose house I visited.

So, knock the door.

She comes to the door, opens up.

I said, Ms. Rodriguez, says, I'd like to introduce myself.

I'm, you know, I was born in Cuba and I live in the United States and this was my grandmother's house.

And she looked at me and she said, you know, I always knew that someone was gonna knock on this door and tell me they lived in this house.

I think the American dream is really the same as anybody's dream in any other country.

It could be the Mexican dream.

It could be the German dream.

I think everybody wants their kids to, you know, to have a great life.

I've been able to see my kids grow up.

And now, my grandkids.

In four generations, the American dream has allowed our family to prosper and to live comfortably.

- Thank you, Raul, for your story.

We'd love to hear your American dream story.

Go to milwaukeepbs.org/americandreams to submit your story.

Three years ago, we introduced you to two young friends who leaned on each other to get through a difficult time.

"My Friend Linkin" is a book a young girl wrote about her friend's battle with cancer.

Our Emmy nominated story on Naudia and Linkin inspired some special recognition.

And now, they're writing their fifth book to help make a difference in another friend's life.

"My Friend Linkin", the story continues.

(slow piano music) - I have to go into the hospital because I had a brain tumor.

I like to have company.

She makes me feel better.

- He has brain cancer.

Cancer is a disease where cells grow the wrong way.

- At the age of two, we were kind of, we were very scared.

They resected about 90% of the brain tumor.

And what was remaining really was unreachable 'cause it was wrapped around an artery.

- It hurts your body, especially where it's located.

Cancer makes you sick and, sadly, not all cancers have a cure.

- My health has been good.

I been taking my meds.

I'm stable.

I've been to the eye doctor, just went to the dentist.

My name is Linkin Eger.

I'm in sixth grade and I'm 11 years old.

- My name is Naudia Greenawalt.

I'm in seventh grade and I'm 12 years old.

Our friendship has been doing really well lately.

- It's been doing really well.

- I wanted to write a book about Linkin.

When I interviewed Linkin, I asked him the first one that came in my mind.

Are you afraid?

Linkin said, "Only of spiders."

- We went from one book to a full-blown nonprofit.

We really wanted it to be this fundraiser for Linkin.

But when we saw how happy it may Naudia and how happy it made Linkin, especially during his treatment, Kelly and I talked, and we decided that this was something that we would want to do again.

- I thought it was just gonna be like a regular small children's story.

But then it turned out to be like a big thing that's helping kids around the world.

"My Friend Mackenzie" was written by me.

And she was a friend that we met in school.

And we found out that she had cancer like me.

So, we wanted to do something special for her.

She was eight years old.

- She was a smart and funny person.

She was really, really smart.

- My favorite part was when Mackenzie whispered to her dad, when she was waking up, "Go Brewers", when her dad was a Cubs fan.

She unfortunately passed away.

- MacKenzie wrote Jordan and then Jordan was supposed to write "My Friend Daxton", but she unfortunately passed away.

So, I wrote "My Friend Daxton."

- He's doing great.

We keep in touch a lot.

- We decided to write this one together.

- We met Itzel by going to children's hospital and she has leukemia.

- I'm Itzel Mercado.

I'm 11 years old.

I'm in fifth grade in St. Roman.

I do virtual.

It's just so that I don't get any infections.

About Lincoln, I like that he's funny.

And Naudia, I like that she likes playing games that I rarely get to do with my aunt nowadays.

We would play like school or you would play at other stuff, like we can play like outside, like playing catch with balls.

When I first found out about the book, at first, I was very like hesitant 'cause knowing Itzel, I thought she will turn it down.

the idea of someone writing about her.

But after that, I was like, I think it's gonna be a great story for others to see and learn more about cancer and what other kids have to go through, especially, mostly because I think her book's gonna be mostly about relapse and something we really don't hear much in the cancer community.

- I like to write the books because like how Linkin said, bring joy to others and then to get to know them and make new friends and help that person that we're writing about to have their story be let out into the world.

- I want people to know what they're going through.

- It was their idea to write the book as bilingual.

- The other thing I want them to put in the book is, other than what I'm going through, everything is still fun.

Even if cancer's in your way, I'm pretty sure it's not gonna stop you from doing the things that you love most, like how it doesn't really stop me from doing my art.

- My hair looks different.

- It's like this.

- I am growing my hair out.

I'm gonna give it to another kid with cancer.

- Link is fun because he does funny jokes.

- What do you call a pig that knows karate?

A pork chop.

- A pork chop?

- What kind of sushi does Lady Gaga like?

- [Woman] I don't know.

- She likes it raw, raw, raw-aw-aw-aw.

(both laughing) - I do tell a lot of jokes as well.

And I do a ton of pranks.

- I think it means like brings them joy and happiness and a joke just cheers them up a lot when they're feeling down.

- I feel like they're amazing people to be with.

(soft guitar music) - When Naudia Greenawalt's friend, Linkin Eger, did chemotherapy for a brain tumor in 2017, she decided to write a book.

- She was in the People's Magazine, right?

It's girls changing the world.

It was really interesting that when I found out and I just blew my mind too.

- They found out about us from the first PBS show from what Miss Maryann did.

People Magazine, it says that we have raised $30,000.

- Money goes to the families that we write books about and other cancer organizations.

- I am extremely proud of Naudia.

I never thought that it would turn into anything.

And it's amazing to see how much she's been able to accomplish in her short 12 years here in life and the impact that she's had on other people.

And if there's a way to make someone feel better, Naudia will always step in.

- I want to be a pediatrician and a primatologist on the side.

- I want to be a nurse because the nurses, when I was younger, were so special to me.

So, I want the kids that go through cancer have that thought too, to feel special.

- [Interviewer] What's your hope for the future, for Linkin?

- I know he wants to be a nurse, and I really hope someday that that comes true because I can see the joy he's brings into these kids' worlds now.

And I can just see him being this adult child, always carrying that with him, that I hope he never loses that sense of humor.

I hope he never loses the willingness to make a kid smile.

And I just truly can see him doing that someday, regardless if it's being a nurse or some other occupation, I hope he never loses that sense of, I'm Peter Pan.

- I love my friend Linkin, and I'll always be here for him.

- For more information on "My Friend Linkin", go to milwaukeepbs.org.

We understand there's a viewing party at the New Berlin Public Library, so, a special shout out to those watching.

We have more talented youngsters coming up as we end this edition of 10thirtysix.

We wish you a joyous Christmas and holiday season as we leave you with Milwaukee's Notre Dame Middle School Choir singing "Silent Night" in both English and Spanish.

(piano music) (choir singing "Silent Night")