I'm Riding for GIFT OF LIFE TRANSPLANT HOUSE
I MADE IT ANOTHER YEAR!!
Can I just say, although it’s been a super-duper challenging year, I am SO happy to be alive! To CELEBRATE, I’m sharing the love with the GIFT OF LIFE TRANSPLANT HOUSE, a nonprofit with a big heart! They offer affordable and quality accommodations for folks, like me, who are traveling far and wide to have their organ/tissue/eye donation at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.
This is my second year with this beautiful gift from my sister, Bree. I am so extremely grateful for her kidney working its miracle in my body. Going through a transplant is no easy task! There are a TON of appointments before transplant ensuring we are good candidates for this kind of major surgery. After the transplant, Bree and I had to stay near the hospital in case of emergencies and follow-up visits.
Because we live two hours away, it wasn’t realistic to drive back and forth to and from the hospital every day. So, we planned on staying in Rochester, MN pre and post-surgery. We contemplated getting a hotel or even renting a condo or apartment. The cost was prohibitive. Besides, we didn’t have a clear idea of when we would be able to leave the hospital! Sometimes there are complications and we may have had to stay longer.
The Gift of Life Transplant House has an open-ended check-out. You have your room and accommodations for as long as you need them. And forget having to bring the kitchen sink! They already have everything you need to make your own meals and store your own food. When you’re on a BUNCH of immunosuppressive medication eating healthy and clean can feel like a job. Getting the tiniest bug post-transplant can send you right back to the hospital or even jeopardize the transplant! The majority of risks are eliminated at the GOL. They have high standards in cleanliness and sanitization to make sure everyone there stays healthy.
I believe in the GOL. Their mission is affordable and quality accommodations… but they also hold space for conversation and healing. People going through the same major life-changing transformation are together in the house and can share stories, experiences, and most of all support.
LOVE IS THE BEST MEDICINE.
So, I’m sharing the LOVE with GOL by riding my bike 1 MILE for $100!!!
I really hope I have to ride 20 miles! That’s my goal. Kick my butt with this fundraiser! And if I have to ride farther???? YES!!! BRING IT ON!!!!
I hope you’ll join me.
Donations can be made on Facebook HERE: https://www.facebook.com/donate/778051049805238/
or on PayPal HERE: https://paypal.me/pools/c/8ylcAYQJJu
At the end of this fun-raiser, I have a special treat to say THANK YOU for sharing the healing medicine of LOVE with others.