Page 3 - Ava's Heart 5th Annual Hereos Ball
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 A Note From Ava
As always before I begin, I want to thank my donor for giving me the most
precious gift. Life,
Welcome to our first virtual event and tribute book. Thank you, a million
times, over to Tom Cunningham and Events in a Box for creating the magic.
To Go Charity for our silent auction, and to all of our 2021 Hero’s. The world
has changed a lot these past two years, but transplant has not. Our community
has grown and keeps growing as this past Covid year more transplants were
done then ever before. Making what we do and the need for pre- and post-
transplant housing in greater demand then ever. With that also comes the need
for assistance for our donor families Thank you to all our sponsors who help us
to carry on our mission and to everyone who contributes to our cause. A very special thank you to One Legacy, we are proud to be a community partner with you, without you we would not be here. Tom D. Mone you’re the best of the best.
This has been an exciting year for me personally as I am now a CNN Hero for 2021. I truly hope that more people will understand our mission and join us in creating systematic change in the transplant and organ donation communities. I have finally completed my new book Shark Heart with my dear friend, Tina Hill , more to come on that. We have a publisher. Working on a Ted talk about transplant and bringing awareness to the inequities in transplantation.
To my board of directors, I say thank you for your continued, belief in my vision and for always being there.
I have done a lot of thinking and writing this year and on a more somber note I want to speak about truly receiving the gift of life. Understanding what it means to die and then be given a second chance at life has been a soul -altering experience. I am a heart transplant recipient-and understanding what that really means is something I think about every day. Transplant is not just a surgery; it is a transformation of one’s life. If it takes a village to raise a child, then it takes a community of people to make sure that transplant is successful. There is something missing in helping people recover in their lives. The simple recognition of understanding the needs of another person is an act of humanity. Appreciating what we have in life and what we know life to be is of equal importance to truly receiving the gift. We are not just fighters or warriors, we are people who have been transformed by the gift we have been given and by what living with someone else’s heat or lungs, or kidneys, or eyes –really means. We are not responsible for the lives of our donors, but we are responsible for what we choose to do with the life we have been given. Live your best life.
From my new heart to yours,
Ava
    

















































































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