When Marti Greenberg found out her husband Gary needed to find a living kidney donor, and fast, she sent out an SOS e-mail to friends and family. People from Oregon, Virginia, New York, Florida, Wisconsin, state of Washington and the Chicagoland area jumped right in to help. New friends, lifelong friends, sister in law, niece in law, cousin, neighbor, sons, colleagues, and BJBE friends have all rallied to help Gary find a living donor kidney.
The result? Team Gary.
The Team Gary members didn’t all know each other, but they figured out how to work together. They quickly listed the best of the best ideas and divvied up the responsibilities. They meet periodically and email often, sometimes daily.
Lorrie Weinberg is committed to Team Gary. “As a cousin and friend, I couldn’t sit on the sidelines and just watch Gary in his despair. When I heard of Team Gary, I had to join in to help him find a living donor.”
“So many people help me each year with donations for the JDRF Walk for juvenile diabetes, which one of my granddaughters has had since she was two years old.,” explains Terry Sachsel, a BJBE friend. “This is one way to give back or pay it forward.”
“I can’t attend the meetings, but I can write and edit from my computer here in Portland,” says high school friend Liz Rabiner Lippoff.
Team Gary will gather again on January 19 to brainstorm every possible avenue available to successfully find a living donor kidney for Gary. The clock is ticking. There are seven months left to find that loving, generous hero who will Share their Spare to help Gary live a longer, healthier life. Team Gary is convinced they can help make it happen.
“The Greenbergs are a caring, loving and incredibly generous family. It is our turn to try to help them through this crises,” friend and neighbor Faith Keiden shares.
“Team Gary is an impressive group of angels,” she adds. “The energy and hope generated here is quite meaningful and motivating.”
Living Donor Love 