Kim Crumpler, founder of Uniquely Savvy, an image & style consulting company (featured in the far right of this photo), is known for her personal style. That is why it came as no surprise that she arrived at the 2nd Annual Publici-Tea™ and Book Publishing Summit festively dressed and wearing ruby red and glittery high heeled shoes.
During the informal networking, Randy Small (featured in the center of the above photo) commented about her sassy shoes. Kim received the compliment and said she thought it was unusual for a man to take notice of those shoes. Debbie Whitlock (far left of photo) gave Randy a knowing smile.
Having worked with Randy prior, Debbie knew that Randy is the fortunate recipient of a donor heart that once beat for a young woman — Katie Kuhns from Homer, Alaska — whose life was cut short at 22 years of age.
Debbie said, “Randy is a chick at heart.” Right then and there, a conversation began about the importance of organ and tissue donation. Randy had the amazing good fortune to meet his donor’s family in Homer three years after she passed away. “The Kuhns family is wonderful,” Randy says. “While nothing can lessen the tragedy of their loss, they are grateful that Katie’s decision allowed others to live.” Now Randy carries her signed donor card in his wallet as a constant reminder about the extraordinary gift of life Katie gave to him through her final act of generosity.
Randy and the Kuhns have become friends through this special bond, and he and his girlfriend — also a donor heart recipient he met at the clinic — spent a week with the Kuhns this past summer.
Debbie Whitlock’s father also received the Gift of Life, thanks to a kidney donation several years ago. Since then, Debbie has been advocating to everyone she knows about the importance of signing a donor card. She met Randy through her volunteer work with Life Center Northwest.
In the world of small worlds, my friend, neighbor, and fellow publicist Cynthia Flash serves as the public relations talent for the NW Kidney Foundation. I got in touch with her about this heart warming story, and she is fast at work to see about inviting an even wider audience of people to be delighted by it.
You never know what magic will manifest at these wonderful events at which informal networking, sharing, giving and receiving are taking place with joy and wonder, perhaps three heel clicks at a time.
Randy agrees wholeheartedly, pun intended, saying: “There is no place like Homer.”
Randy is living his life with the heart of a hero. He awakens each day with a sense of gratitutde and tries to honor Katie’s Gift of Life every day.
“I have an ordinary life, but my life is very precious to me. The only reason I am able to continue that ordinary life is because someone chose to do something extraordinary — to be an organ and tissue donor. To be a hero.”
Well said Randy Small.
Make sure you register your wishes to www.donatelifetoday.com or your local organ procurement organization or Department of Motor Vehicles.
And, if you want to know everything that happened at the 2nd Annual Publici-Tea™ and Book Publishing Summit, be sure to register at www.publicitea.com before Christmas. The content is my gift to you to share with the world as long as you act by 12-25-10.
