Help Wanted!

Heroes aren’t the people who star in movies. Heroes aren’t the people who make the most money. Heroes aren’t even the people who are the smartest or the fastest or the nicest. Heroes are those everyday people who do extraordinary things. From policemen, firefighters, and soldiers to doctors and nurses to mom’s and dad’s—heroes are the people who openly, willingly, and freely help others. Until recently though, I had never really thought about who my “heroes” were. Sure, I was grateful for all of the sacrifices that others had given--from soldiers laying down their lives to doctors going to countless years of school to learn to my mom’s endless love and support—but--I had never truly recognized or acknowledged the notion of “heroes.”

Yet, that all changed when my Mom and Chris chose to have my brother, Andrew and my sister, Erin become organ and cornea donors. Through this selfless act, my siblings were able to transform into heroes, who have not only helped 7 other people to physically live and thrive but have inspired countless others to give a little bit of what they have to help even more people. What exactly do I mean? Well, when my Mom and Chris made the decision to donate Erin’s cornea and Andrew’s cornea and organs, we were introduced to a wonderful group of people from LifeBanc. During the time at the hospital, as doctors and nurses worked to monitor and prepare Andrew to help make sure his organ’s were healthy and could be donated, LifeBanc covered ALL of the medical expenses. Then, after Andrew’s organs had been sent to different areas all over the country, LifeBanc helped us to contact the recipients and we have even received a thank-you letter from the man who received Andrew’s heart. And that is only the beginning. LifeBanc has continued to help us through this difficult time of healing by providing us with an outpouring of support, whether it is just a quick e-mail or a phone call to say hello, we feel so blessed to have had the opportunity for Erin and Andrew to become heroes.

And now I am asking for a small favor from everyone who reads my blog. LifeBanc is having a 5K/10K/1.5 Walk Fundraiser on August 14th at Blossom Music Center in Cleveland, Ohio. My family has formed a team, The Drewin Crew and would love to add to our growing list of runners and walkers. We currently have the largest team and have been blown away by the outpouring of donations we have received. There is even a press release going out about the event (click here to read!) to help generate even more support. Even if you can’t make it for the run (since I know most of my blog friends don’t live near Cleveland), we are also able to accept monetary donations for the team. All the proceeds from the Fundraiser are being used to help spread awareness about organ donation and to assist in offsetting the medical costs that LifeBanc incurs as a result of helping families cover the medical costs of organ donors, like Andrew.

I feel truly blessed to be able to share about this wonderful organization with all of you and hope that I can help to generate even more support for this great event through my blog! Please share this post with all of your friends, family, and fellow bloggers so that we can continue to help support the LifeBanc Event! So start sharing ya’ll!

Click here for a link to the LifeBanc Registration/Donation Page!