About the Lovely's

We have always had a large display, as a matter of fact my wife used to decorate the house both indoors and outdoors for every holiday. Every year we buy end of the season sale items and look for cute stuff throughout the year to add to our ever growing Christmas set up. In 2006 my wife's health was declining, I assumed it would be her last Christmas and she always wanted to go to Disney at Christmas time. We always thought Disney would be done up nice. What we did not know about was something that changed our lives; Disney's Osborne Lights in Disney MGM park where they put lights on every building, every roof top, the sky, the ground, light posts and animate it all to Christmas music. I am not sure if she challenged me or if I bragged I could do that, but that night it all started. When we came back from our Christmas vacation I immediately started reading how to do Christmas light shows. That year I cheated and purchased a Mr. Christmas Show in a box. I hooked up the lights and we had our own personal show. As I learned more about what equipment to use, our creative juices went to work and our show got bigger every year.

Our Transplant Story:
In 2007 my wife was near death. Instead of looking like a healthy 47 year old woman she looked like a 90 year old in a wheel chair with an oxygen hose across her face. Her transplant story actually begins May 17, 1998. That is the day she got the call that her first husband had died at the age of 44. When she was asked if she wanted to donate his bones and tissue to people that were in need, she did not hesitate. In 2002 my wife was diagnosed with severe emphysema. In 2006 she was so bad her pulmonologist suggested she go to the University of Pennsylvania to find out what about getting a lung transplant. After a battery of tests she was put on the list to receive her "Gift of Life". She was on the list 9 months getting sicker and sicker. It was the saddest thing I ever went through, watching someone you love with all you have to love with dieing right in front of you. On July 1, 2007 just after midnight we got the call. We rushed to the hospital and 15 days later she walked out of that hospital. She no longer needed an oxygen hose, she no longer needed a wheel chair. That day another family was told one of their children was dead. That family made the courageous decision to donate his organs to others who were about to lose their battle with life. Right now there are over 112,000 people, over 1700 children waiting for an organ donation. Sadly only 14,000 people are registered organ donors. And because of the low registered organ donors 18 people lose their battle and die every day. When my wife had her transplant we became part of our local OPO "Gift of Life". We make it our job to spread the word that organ donation works. My wife would be dead, our six grandchildren would not know their "Mom-Mom". Her children would have had to bury both of their parents while they were still young.

Christmas is the time of giving. Don't let your family's tragedy end life, you can give another family the best gift of all just by becoming a registered organ donor.
Give the Gift of Life - To find out more about being an organ donor please visit:

Links:

Understanding Donation
http://www.donors1.org - Gift of Life
Donate Life America

Personal web site