Calling All Angels

As you all know, our family is very close to our softball community. The support we have received with Nick's battle has been phenomenal, especially with our annual charity softball tournaments. One umpire in particular has been extremely generous with his time and energy in making our tournaments a success - Ralph Andersen. It was Ralph, in fact, that organized all the umpires for our last tournament (Ralph is on the right).

He is a teacher at Bonneville High School and has also brought along his students from DECA to help volunteer and design and donate bottled water for the concession stands. Ralph has been amazingly supportive of Nick's efforts and it wasn't until this fall, we learned that Ralph's own 20-year old son, Rex, had his own life-long battle raging in his body with cystic fibrosis.

Rex was just approved last month to have a double lung and liver transplant done in St. Louis. Plane tickets were purchased and they were all ready to fly out this Sunday. I just received a phone call from Ralph this afternoon to tell me that God asked Rex to fly home to heaven instead this past Tuesday morning.

Here is a link to a recent newspaper article written about Rex:
http://www.standard.net/topics/organ-transplants/2010/10/14/triple-transplant-needed-20-year-old

He also has a Facebook page - "T-Rex Andersen" that has information as well.

Please say a prayer for the Andersen family - Ralph, his wife Carol and his son, James - whose broken hearts are finding comfort that their sweet boy can breathe again. We will be attending the funeral tomorrow in West Point. I am so, so sad.

Because of Ralph's efforts, I just mailed off checks to CureSearch and First Descents for $3,100 each, representing the funds raised at our 3rd annual charity softball tournament. Ralph epitomizes kindness, courage, strength, faith and friendship. We are all better for having him be part of our lives. I'm sure his son, Rex, was very proud of his dad, as Ralph was of his son. May blessings of comfort and peace find the Andersen family and that unconditional love from extended family and friends surround them always.

Lori