Real Salt Lake. David Archuleta. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.
These are a few of my favorite things.
Mike and I were at the RSL game when Extreme Makeover: Home Edition came onto the field and introduced us to little Jonah. I had been hearing on the news that they were here, in Utah, building a home for some sweet little boy that I had never met and had never heard of. I loved him anyway. At the game, they were swabbing people to get them entered into the bone marrow registry database. We missed our chance then and have been regretting it ever since.
Fast forward two more months. We had TiVo'd the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition - the Jonah Gomez Episode at Scott & Karen's house (watch the full episode at this link), and watched it while the laundry was being washed. Can I just tell you something? I love that show. Love, love, love it. I love to see people helping each other. I love to see people that do so much for others get back some good karma in a really big, life-impacting way.
Ok, and maybe I love a good cry.
Watching all the volunteers, land owners, home builders, TV personalities, pop stars (David Archuleta - I still think you were robbed of your Idolness!) and local sports teams that genuinely cared for a complete stranger enough to donate their time, money, effort and love - oh, man oh man. I had the fall aparts like never before (the PMS mood swings may have had a little something to do with that).
Every episode brings me to tears, but this time it really hit home. These were my neighbors. This is my town. These are people that I may unknowingly run into at the grocery store, the gas station, the hair salon. I go to RSL games. I go to Daybreak. I have never felt so proud to live in such a great community with such great people as I did watching the selfless acts of love unfolding right in front of me!
I will tell you this, I have made a conscientious effort to be nicer to people. I smile more at strangers. I wave to people driving. I let them cut me in traffic. Small things that used to set me off before I brush off because, hey. This person may have helped to build a house for Jonah. That person may have volunteered to be on the Bone Marrow Transplant Registry. You just never know, do you? Better to be nice than to be sorry.
Last night Mike and I registered to be on the Bone Marrow transplant registry. It was quick, it was easy, and it was so emotionally gratifying I cannot even begin to describe to you! I have taken myself and my commitment to be healthy a lot more seriously. Why, you ask? Because what am I going to do when one day they call me up to get tested and I'm 30 pounds overweight with a blood sugar level 90 times what it should be? I shouldn't be taking my health and my body for granted. It is my duty to take care of it, since it takes such good care of me. I know I'm not going to be using this body and all of it's parts forever, so I need to take care of them for me and their next owner!
If you meet the requirements, I encourage you to get registered to be a bone marrow donor, and in turn encourage everyone you know to do the same! It takes all of 30 seconds to register online, and they will send you a swab kit in the mail. Easy as pie! The chances of being a match are pretty slim - but just imagine if you are a donor for someone. A child, maybe. What if YOU are the person who saves Jonah? You just never know - one can only hope! :)
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