I am part of a group, including a few other ST’ers, going to San Fran for the Escape from the Rock tri on 6/24. I am using the race as a platform to raise organ donor awareness.
First off, I am not sure how far the word of the Lake Michigan airplane crash spread, but there was a tragic event a couple of days ago. On Monday, a small plane crashed into the lake that was on a mission bringing an organ to a person in need, who was already in the OR being prepped for surgery. All passengers on the plane (6) died, causing incredible pain beyond the families of the person who died leaving the organ and the family that had to have been so hopeful that a donor was found.
Here are the people who went down on the plane, the least I can do is mention them briefly:
Richard Chenault II, 44, transplant specialist, a veteran of dozens of transplant missions, who was scheduled to return in time for a high school sports banquet where he was to receive coach of the year honors in girls track and cross country (no family info).
Richard LaPensee, 48, firefighter and EMT, completed a 24-hr shift at 7:00 am and then got on the plane to assist in the mission (no family info). Dr. Martinus Spoor, 37, married with 3 kids, cardiac surgeon, made 10 missions like this per year. Had just finished the removal surgery on the donor.
Dr. David Ashburn, 35, married with 3 kids, scheduled to begin his pediatric cardiac surgery fellowship next month. Had just finished the removal surgery on the donor. Bill Serra, 59, married with 4 kids, pilot, honored in 1993 by the US Air Force for his work as a civilian pilot delivering cargo to US forces in the 1991 Persian Gulf War.
Dennis Hoyes, 65, married with 3 kids and several grandchildren, pilot, flight instructor known to give free lessons to people interested in flying
Back in February, I started my “donor” plan, not to get people to donate money, but to become organ donors. Those who saw my family blog a while ago may remember that I had something on there for a while about using Alcatraz as a platform not to raise money but to get people to go on to a donor list, or to re-up under the current system. Old registrations in Illinois need to be re-done under new IL system, and all states have different systems.
My father had 2 heart attacks (1 was only 3 years from my current age !!) but a lack of heart donors was the real cause of death. He was #1 on the list for a month but no suitable donor was found. My goal was to get 100 people to sign up or re-up as donors. It seemed that if I get 100 (or even 50) people to do this, that may lead to a very real possibility that the effort could actually lead directly to a transplant even if it adds only a year or less to someone’s life. My dad never saw his grandkids born or kids get married or me graduate, so every extra month someone can get in life can have great impact on both the donee and his/her survivors.
To date, the drive has caused 63 people to become organ donors. I am still hopeful that I will hit 100.
Walter Payton, the #1 childhood idol of mine, died after spending time on an organ donor list. Walter waited on the donor list for some time and eventually developed cancer before a transplant could be made. Dad and I bonded over many a Bears game and Walter in the 80’s, so it was extremely weird when both died waiting on donors. Walter had a huge steep hill in the burbs that he was legendary for running 100x/day. That hill (depicted for a brief moment approx. 30 seconds into this Walter video and the difficulty of climbing it was what originally got me thinking about climbing the Alcatraz sandladder again, even though I am older, slower, heavier and less fit than when I climbed it 7 years ago. I figured if you’re going to do a race to further a cause related to a guy who climbed hills, it’s gotta be a race where you climb hills, right?
So, here’s the plan. I am aware that some people may not want to have their names out there as a donor, as this is sensitive info. If you know me personally, send me an email to an email address that you know, or send to one I set up for this campaign, herniationboy@comcast.net, and let me know that you are signing up or re-upping on a donor list (if you’re a slowtwitch member, just send me a PM). I’ll take it on faith that it will get done and will add you as a un-named tally mark on a donor count that I will post on the side of the blogs below. I’ll keep all names confidential. If you are in Illinois, sign up HERE. If not in Illinois, contact your secretary of state’s office.
Thanks for considering it.
Organ donor post
Breaking Jim Brown’s record:
