Touched By An Angel

Last week I wished you a week to focus on what you needed to do to turn the negative in your life into something positive. How did that work for you? What strategies did you use? What actions did you take? The key take away for me was I needed to surround myself with positive whether it be people, music, what was on TV, and/or what I was reading. In addition, I had to get my mindset right. I found I was focusing on my negative interpretations of things going on rather than blocking out the negative and refocusing on my gratitude and the positive. That’s easier said than done, however, so next week’s blog will deal with more specifics.

I can’t dwell on my challenges as they seem so inconsequential to what others are facing. Our friends the Remingtons faced the death of their 23 year old daughter, Sammy, last Friday.

Jon and I first followed Barry, Sammy’s dad, when he played football at CU. Since that time, he married a beautiful woman, Brigitte, and they began to raise their family.In a wonderful video, Touched By an Angel - Samantha Remington, which you can find on YouTube, Sammy’s first 18 years are documented. The touching video shares the story of Sammy from her birth 23 years ago to her second heart transplant. As you watch and listen to Brigitte and Barry sharing their emotions about their first born child. They were told she had a “heart murmur,” was in the hospital for a month and then were told their baby girl needed a heart transplant. The video follows their journey, as parents, along with their daughter’s life journey. In the video, Sammy shared that “because of her parents she was able to live a normal life, she was happy, she was always smiling, and she felt her life was a gift.”

The video also allows us to listen to the other three Remington children explain their love for their older sister. “She was always watching out for the others and had such a loving spirit.” Once again, her smile was mentioned as something special. Sammy, herself, explains that she always was smiling.

In her junior year in high school, Sammy wasn’t feeling well and after taking a final exam she told her mom she thought they needed to go to the hospital as her heart was racing. That was then the turning point of needing her second heart transplant. Another match was found and after many months of recovery, Sammy was back on track to finish high school and go on to college.

Sammy and her family all exemplify the meaning of giving back and living life to its fullest despite all the challenges physically, emotionally, and financially. A foundation was established http://www.sammyangelheart.com/ to help not only Sammy but other transplant recipients.

The Samantha Remington Angel Heart Foundation has been established to provide help and support to Samantha and other transplant families with their medical debts and other counseling and support.  Organ transplantation is a very costly procedure with both before and after hospitalization, lifetime treatment and expensive medication. These costs can easily overwhelm even the most financially secure family.

The members of The Samantha Remington Angel Heart Foundation know and understand that Samantha will continue to deal with her ongoing health problems with the bravery and resiliency emblematic of her life.  Without the miracle of organ donation and the skill and dedication of doctors, nurses, and other health care professionals, no one would have ever known our beautiful Samantha.  This foundation is dedicated to assisting Sam and others like her fight the good fight.  All proceeds will go to payment of the medical expenses of these heroes.

If you go to the site today, you will read Brigitte and Barry’s emotional announcement of Sammy’s passing. What a horrible thing to lose your child, I can’t even imagine. However, what I also know about the Remington family, their friends, and other champions they surround themselves with, they will continue to make a difference in other’s lives in Sammy’s memory.

One thing we can all do is consider signing up to be an organ donor. If you are one already, congratulations! If not, you can learn more at http://organdonor.gov/index.html.  Sammy was able to live a life for 23 years because of people who made a commitment to be an organ donor.

Thank you for reading this. I want to close with a quote Sammy’s sister, Carly, wrote on Facebook,

 “It is with a shattered heart that I say goodbye to my sister Sammy. She was the happiest warrior anyone could have met. Battling two heart transplants and countless illnesses Sammy always had a smile on. She was an angel on Earth, always worrying about other people before even thinking of herself. She was my older sister, best friend, protector, and now my guardian angel. I love you Sammy. ❣

My heartfelt sympathy goes out to the Remington family and those touched by the loss of this beautiful soul.

I wish you a week of reflection on your many blessings.