Rosalind Richardson wanted to talk about her husband, Jerry, who was released from Carolinas Medical Center Thursday 12 days after a heart transplant. On Thursday night, we did. At the end of the conversation, I asked her if there were anything I could do.
She asked me if I could print some of the notes she had handed me earlier, two pages of notes entitled "Our Gratitude." She wanted to thank all the folks who have been kind to her and to her family.
Here they are in their entirety.
Rosalind Richardson wrote: "So many people had a hand or voice in giving us support during Jerry's wait for a new heart and his second chance for life.
"All those who called or sent a card, email, letter, note; offered a prayer or joined a prayer group; picked up a set of needles to knit or crochet a shawl; stopped to give a hug while greeting our family members in passing; sent a family keepsake for his pocket; sent a handmade board of heroes medals and ribbons picked up in flea markets abroad; homemade cards and handwritten letters from children; a book, DVD or CD to occupy his time; flowers for the soul; reminders to believe; believe that our prayers will be answered; believe that he will be better.
"All of the wishes we received had a hand in how well Jerry is doing today. We are so grateful for the messages and prayers offered for Jerry. We have been overwhelmed by this heartwarming, outpouring show of love.
"One of our dear friends said, 'God does not give out hearts lightly.' We are humbled by this miraculous gift of life. And we are so grateful to the donor and his family.
"We are organ donors, and we hope others will sign up to be an organ or tissue donor. We have the power to save lives. Readers can visit www.lifesharecarolinas.org.
"An angel stopped by our daughter's house in the form of a UPS driver. He had never been on her route before, and he has not been on it since. But he stopped to hold our daughter's hand on her front porch and earnestly prayed for Jerry's caretakers, doctors and surgeons, prayed that he would get a strong heart and return to normal life. When they looked at each other's eyes, tears were streaming down their cheeks.
"Angels of God over time serving others as He would want them to do."
If they really want to show us some gratitude they wont raise our ticket prices this year.
Posted by: gengizk | February 13, 2009 at 09:27 AM
Gengizk, you are a jerk!
Posted by: hipps1 | February 13, 2009 at 10:21 AM