Tomorrow, I have the honor of speaking at the National Youth Leadership Forum on Medicine. This is the third year I’ve spoken at this function – it’s one of my favorite gigs.
This is a ten-day program that introduces outstanding high school students to the world of medicine. The program is held in nine cities and each program serves several hundred students. Students from all over the country who have an interest in pursuing a career in medicine are recommended by their schools and this program is a wonderful opportunity for them. The NYLF cooperates with many hospitals, research facilities and medical schools to expose students to a wide variety of careers in the field of medicine.
In Chicago, they dedicate a few hours to the topic of organ donation. Gift of Hope addresses facts and figures and donation information, and then there is a presentation by a donor family member, and a recipient. In the past few years I’ve worked with my fellow calendar girls (2005 Gift of Hope Calendar) Anne Gulotta and Mary Schlereth. Anne and Mary give a donor family perspective. Anne’s husband Jay and Mary’s boyfriend Craig passed and became donors – they both have incredibly moving stories. They are two of my heroes.
Whenever I’m given time in a presentation, I start my talks with Jenn’s poem, “Talking to the Shadows”. I want to show them Kari through the eyes of one of her friends. Two years ago, Jenn actually came out and presented with me – she read her own poem and it was incredibly powerful.
I tell these students about Kari – who she was and what I know about her. And, I tell them what she’s done for me – what I can do now that I’ve never, ever been able to do. I tell them about meeting Kari’s family and friends, and about meeting Jenn. I tell them about climbing with Jenn and #7 and #12.
We get to speak to three or four hundred students. These are amazing young people. I know that some of these young people will change the world. I talk about the people they will become, the patients they will help, the discoveries they will make – and the lives they will save.
I tell them about the hundreds of medical people who have touched my life – people they will become in the future. I let them know that patients don’t always have time to thank the folks that help us, but we remember the people who have helped us – just as future patients will remember them.
I believe that most of the students are juniors in high school. Kari was a junior when she passed and gave me life. I think it’s easy for these students to connect with that, and to see what a special person she was – and what she’s done for me.
I know that I’m showing them how amazing organ donation truly is… I know I’m showing them that donors and donor families are heroes to recipients and their families. But in my heart, I’m telling them about a precious girl – a girl whose smile crosses my mind throughout the day, every single day of my life.
I hope I plant a seed…
