Gift of Life held its third annual Walk for Life on Sunday, February 10, 2013 on the Boca Raton campus of Florida Atlantic University. The 5K is the only event in South Florida dedicated to raising awareness for bone marrow and blood stem cell transplants. Funds raised at the Walk go directly towards processing donor test kits and adding new donors to the registry. Every donor added to the registry improves the chances that matches will be found for patients in need of life-saving transplants! Thanks to the dedication and generosity of over 400 participants and countless sponsors, this year’s Walk raised over $68,000 for Gift of Life!
As participants dodged intermittent sprinkles of rain throughout the morning, nothing could dampen the spirit and enthusiasm in the air. Walkers and runners enjoyed complimentary snacks and drinks, entered raffles to win a number of exciting prizes including an iPad, and the donor registration area remained busy as 74 people had their cheeks swabbed to join the registry themselves.
Of course, no Gift of Life event would be complete without a donor recipient introduction, a moving and exciting illustration of the organization’s life-saving work. As an excited crowd looked on, event Master of Ceremonies, Dean Tendrich, formerly the on air meteorologist at local NBC affiliate WPTV, introduced a tearful Rebeca to her donor, Kate for the very first time!
Rebeca, who lives in Miami, was first diagnosed with Non Hodgkin’s lymphoma in July 2000. As the mother of three young girls, the diagnosis was devastating, but, she explained, “There was no time to think of myself. I had to survive for my daughters.”
Thanks to Gift of Life, a donor was quickly found for Rebeca, whose transplant took place at Moffitt Hospital in Tampa. Though the transplant experience was full of ups and downs, she looked fantastic as she stood with her daughters, 22 year old Stephanie, 19 year old Gina and 14 year old Sophia, ready to meet her donor, Kate, who joined Gift of Life’s registry when she requested an at-home testing kit online. Kate explained that she decided to volunteer as a potential donor because it simply seemed like an easy thing to do to help someone in need- and it was! Twenty-nine year old Kate is a healthcare administrator and lives in New York City with her husband and six month old son. She and her family were only too happy to escape the blizzard of 2013 to travel to Florida for the Walk!
Rebeca said it would take the rest of her life to understand the kindness of this stranger who saved her life. After meeting Kate, she explained, “Today, my family, friends and I are celebrating life. You have given my family hope, happiness, support, caring and love. It is an amazing miracle. I want to thank my donor for demonstrating to the world that one person makes a huge difference, not only in extending my medical life, but the lives of all the people around me. You are a hero.”
Kate added, “Gift of Life is doing amazing, life-giving work to help strengthen not just individuals, but entire families, giving them more time together. We should all feel proud to be a part of this great journey.”
Following this emotional meeting, participants set out on the 5K course, running, walking and enjoying time together with family and friends. It was a spectacular day, and we are already looking forward to next year’s Walk!