In first grade I met a girl named Heather, who didn't have a Mom. She was raised by her Grandma, who loved her as well as anyone, but I always felt bad, because Heather's Mom had died. That's a scary thing for a little one to try and grasp.
Even though we were in different grades it was a small catholic school (St. Francis) so you got to know the other kids pretty well. One year Heather and I had taken an after school macrame class, that I am assuming was through 4H. We both had entries in the fair that summer, and for whatever reason the instructor picked both of us up and we went there together. I only remember riding in the car, and I remember listening to Heather talk about something, and thinking that she was so tough it was kind of scary. I don't know why I even remember that. Heather does make an impression. :)
Life separated us for awhile, but then we met up again in adulthood when she came to work at the Y, and her son "Bubba" was in my preschool class. It was great to see where life had brought her. She was married and had two kids, Mara, and Collin (Bubba).
What I didn't know when I was a child was that Heather's Mom died from a heart condition, a condition that I can't pronounce, but that Heather, and in turn Mara, inherited. This past year they both had heart transplants, but Mara's body rejected hers. She was put on a machine that acted as a heart for her, but developed kidney problems also. She was waiting for another heart, and probably would need a kidney transplant too, but she developed an infection, and Monday morning her 21 year old body lost the battle that her strong, strong soul was determined to fight.
Those are the facts, but between the lines is the important stuff. In all the pictures you see of Mara she is smiling. She squeezed every drop of life out of the years she was given, and she never gave up, ever. Her fight inspired, and will continue to inspire so many people. The turn out at her benefit this past weekend was nothing short of amazing! I know two people who just today signed up to be organ donors, because of Mara.
I myself have been a donor for years, it just seemed like the thing to do. It didn't really mean much to me. I certainly wouldn't need them, so why not? Well, it means something now. If you haven't done it, DO IT. As Heather said this weekend at the benefit, "God doesn't want your organs." He doesn't, of that I'm sure.
I didn't have a close relationship with Mara, she was just one of the passel of kids in my life. She was always happy, always smiling, always on to the next adventure. From time to time I would hear things that she was up to, and then I started following her last adventure on facebook, through her Mom's page, and then through the page Team Mara. Let me tell you, I will never forget her.
Heather, you are an amazing, strong woman, who raised an amazing, strong woman. The support for you, Kraig, and Collin, is overwhelming to see. I hope you all can feel how much Mara was loved, and the support that is there for all of you now. There isn't much anyone can do or say, but we're here.
I debated writing about this, it isn't easy, that's for sure, but it's something that I can do, and if I can use my voice to encourage one more person to become an organ donor, then it's time and tears well spent.
Mara's Smile is the lesson we are all meant to learn. Live the life you were given to it's absolute fullest, no matter what gets thrown at you. This is the message I left on the Team Mara page.
"Though it was short, this was a life well lived." What more could any of us aspire to?
http://www.superiortelegram.com/content/mara-kaye-krysiak
Even though we were in different grades it was a small catholic school (St. Francis) so you got to know the other kids pretty well. One year Heather and I had taken an after school macrame class, that I am assuming was through 4H. We both had entries in the fair that summer, and for whatever reason the instructor picked both of us up and we went there together. I only remember riding in the car, and I remember listening to Heather talk about something, and thinking that she was so tough it was kind of scary. I don't know why I even remember that. Heather does make an impression. :)
Life separated us for awhile, but then we met up again in adulthood when she came to work at the Y, and her son "Bubba" was in my preschool class. It was great to see where life had brought her. She was married and had two kids, Mara, and Collin (Bubba).
What I didn't know when I was a child was that Heather's Mom died from a heart condition, a condition that I can't pronounce, but that Heather, and in turn Mara, inherited. This past year they both had heart transplants, but Mara's body rejected hers. She was put on a machine that acted as a heart for her, but developed kidney problems also. She was waiting for another heart, and probably would need a kidney transplant too, but she developed an infection, and Monday morning her 21 year old body lost the battle that her strong, strong soul was determined to fight.
Those are the facts, but between the lines is the important stuff. In all the pictures you see of Mara she is smiling. She squeezed every drop of life out of the years she was given, and she never gave up, ever. Her fight inspired, and will continue to inspire so many people. The turn out at her benefit this past weekend was nothing short of amazing! I know two people who just today signed up to be organ donors, because of Mara.
I myself have been a donor for years, it just seemed like the thing to do. It didn't really mean much to me. I certainly wouldn't need them, so why not? Well, it means something now. If you haven't done it, DO IT. As Heather said this weekend at the benefit, "God doesn't want your organs." He doesn't, of that I'm sure.
I didn't have a close relationship with Mara, she was just one of the passel of kids in my life. She was always happy, always smiling, always on to the next adventure. From time to time I would hear things that she was up to, and then I started following her last adventure on facebook, through her Mom's page, and then through the page Team Mara. Let me tell you, I will never forget her.
Heather, you are an amazing, strong woman, who raised an amazing, strong woman. The support for you, Kraig, and Collin, is overwhelming to see. I hope you all can feel how much Mara was loved, and the support that is there for all of you now. There isn't much anyone can do or say, but we're here.
I debated writing about this, it isn't easy, that's for sure, but it's something that I can do, and if I can use my voice to encourage one more person to become an organ donor, then it's time and tears well spent.
Mara's Smile is the lesson we are all meant to learn. Live the life you were given to it's absolute fullest, no matter what gets thrown at you. This is the message I left on the Team Mara page.
"Though it was short, this was a life well lived." What more could any of us aspire to?
http://www.superiortelegram.com/content/mara-kaye-krysiak
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