Lance Mokma. To know him was to love him. His smile lit up a room, his laughter was infectious, his spirit was unbreakable. He was, quite simply, the best.
Lance was born with a congenital heart defect, which eventually caused him to need a heart & liver transplant. Just under two years ago, in the month of June, Lance underwent transplant surgery for his new heart & liver. Due to complications, Lance had to be transfused with massive amounts of blood products. Without all of those donations, he likely wouldn’t have made it through the night. He was given a chance because of selfless blood and organ donors. He never took that for granted. Although his outcome wasn’t what we hoped for, it doesn’t change how critical the donors were in his heroic fight to be able to live his dream life. He was so grateful to all of his donors and, no doubt, would be first in line to support a donor campaign if he was here today. He never wanted to be remembered in death, but instead in his life. I cannot think of a better way to remember his life than by helping to save others in his honor.
The script got flipped on us, and unfortunately we aren’t living out the fairytale we all hoped for. So instead, let’s join together to rewrite his next episode and donate it forward! I would be honored if you would join me in pledging to donate blood in memory of Lance during the months of June and July. You can donate anywhere in the US at any time that is convenient for you. Pledge to donate by simply clicking the button above and then you can schedule an appointment at your local donation site at a convenient time for you. If you need help finding a local donation site, you will be directed to options once you pledge above. As Lance would say, “life finds a way!” #LancesNextEpisode
To all of you who donated and/or shared this campaign with others, I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart! The goal of 25 donations was not only met but exceeded beyond what I could have hoped for. We had 47 donations in Lance’s memory and I know many of you donated multiple times so we likely more than doubled the goal amount, thanks to each of you. I cannot tell you how much it means to me that you continue to love and support him in so many aspects of life but especially here, in a way that was so near and dear to both of our hearts! Each of you contributed to saving the lives of others with your donation and I am so deeply grateful to you and in awe of your kindness. Every time I received a message, photo, or phone call of someone new donating, I was incredibly honored to be included in your donation process and so proud to have you as a part of Lance’s legacy. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Given the response to the initial campaign and some requests, I am going to leave this drive active for those of you who would like to donate again in the future toward it. You can pledge to donate as many times as you would like through this campaign in Lance’s name/honor!
With so much love and gratitude,
Sarah
Challenge your friends (or anyone for that matter) to a friendly competition! Who will win the battle to do the most social good for your community?
Put your virtual blood drive campaign against one or even multiple other campaigns to see who can recruit more blood donors for the American Red Cross.
