Ted told me about this story last night and I was uber-excited to read about the incredible employee from Starbucks!
After reading the story of AnnaMarie and Sandie I felt like running out and doing something nice for someone!!
AnnaMarie, a victim of polycystic kidney disease, was a frequent visitor at a local Starbucks in Tacoma Washington. She met Sandie, a friendly smile behind the counter, who made Annamarie's cup of Joe on a daily basis.
They became friends and updated each other of their lives every morning! AnnaMarie had been sick for over a decade, but one morning came into the coffee shoppe looking discouraged. She told Sandie that she would soon have to go on dialysis and would eventually need a kidney transplant!
Sandie jumped at the opportunity to show compassion. She did the blood work to verify if they were a match. Come to find out, they were a blood match.
Sandie is not a new face to the volunteer world, as she was one of the many Good Samaritans that helped after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. I absolutely love what she said about giving of oneself, "People should give freely of themselves, she said, and they do more often than is noticed!"
What an awesome thing we all should remember!! The media often focuses on what's "good news" and often it is disheartening to watch the horrible news stories each night. Yet, many times stories like these are put in the middle of the newspaper, deep in a website, or mentioned for mere seconds on a news cast. I hope that as branch of the My Angel Foundation, ReviveHope can do just that...revive the the hope of our loyal readers that there is still good in this world, and that people do still give selflessly! This hope is shown through hero's like Sandie Andersen!
TODAY, March 11, the women are heading to surgery as Sandie gives a part of herself so that AnnaMarie may have a second chance at life.
Let's keep them in our thoughts!