Thomas: Telling a story that hits very close to home

As I write this, the U.S. Coast Guard is searching for four men -- missing on a fishing boat off the Florida coast.

One of those men is NFL player Marquis Cooper of the Oakland Raiders.

He's also the son of KPNX sportscaster Bruce Cooper.

As journalists, we're used to covering other people's tragedies.

We almost become numb to the painful stories we cover...until tragedy hits close to home.

Those of us at ABC15 dealt with the loss of two co-workers when their helicoper crashed in the summer of 2007.

While there is still hope for Cooper's son, my heart goes out to him and his family.

The *not knowing* must be excruciating.

My hope is at the end of this search, there will be a huge sigh of relief -- that Cooper's son and the other three men will be found safe.

Until that time, hang in there Bruce.