Benefit Breakfast at Siler Presbyterian Church to Benefit Sandra’s Second Wind

About Town, North & South Carolina, Things to Do

8:34 pm January 13, 2017

Come to the Benefit Breakfast at Siler Presbyterian Church to Benefit Sandra’s Second Wind!

The Benefit Breakfast at Siler Presbyterian Church to Benefit Sandra’s Second Wind is a community event to support Sandra Cook and her family because she just received a double lung transplant!

Event Details:

What: Benefit breakfast including biscuits, grits, eggs, sausage, bacon, silent auction, bake sale

When: Saturday Jan 21

Time: 6:30 am – until…biscuits are gone – get there early!

Where: Siler Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall 6301 Weddington Monroe Rd. Matthews, NC 28104

Let me take a step back and tell you a little about what I know about Sandra and her family and why a double lung transplant was necessary. I am by no means a doctor of any sort, I just know what I have read, so please forgive me if I get some details wrong.

A couple of years ago, I met the Cook family when their daughter Lindsey and I joined HomeTown Heroes at the same time. When Lindsey officially joined, her family, including her dad, Jeff (who is now the Chairman of the board of HomeTown Heroes) and her mom Sandra also became involved in HomeTown Heroes.

Sandra was on oxygen 24 hours a day.

Sandra and Jeff before Sandra’s double Lung Transplant

Sandra had the Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency.

“Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency (Alpha-1) is a hereditary condition that is passed on from parents to their children through genes. This condition may result in serious lung disease in adults and/or liver disease in infants, children and adults.
Alpha-1 occurs when there is a severe lack of a protein in the blood called alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) that is mainly produced by the liver. The main function of AAT is to protect the lungs from in ammation caused by infection and inhaled irritants such as tobacco smoke. The low level of AAT in the blood occurs because the AAT is abnormal and cannot be released from the liver at the normal rate. This leads to a buildup of abnormal AAT in the liver that can cause liver disease.”

But that is not what I saw when I met Sandra – I did not see the oxygen take, what I saw was a beautiful woman, inside and out who cared about children. Always wanted to help others. I never, ever saw Sandra with anything but a smile on her face and a twinkle in her eye. I loved her the minute I met her with her positive attitude about everything, her kindness to others and her strong faith in God.

I especially like her signature pose – always two thumbs up, no matter what the circumstance. Seriously, if you don’t know her and her family, you should. They will leave you in awe.

Beautiful Sandra Cook

Sandra’s lungs were getting worse and she was on a waiting list for not a single, but a double lung transplant. That transplant had to take place at Duke Hospital in Raleigh, and she had to be close in case lungs became available. I am sure all of this was taxing physically and financially on their family. I cannot even imagine.

And all through it, there she was with her smile and twinkle in her eye….still reaching out to help others in need. The beauty of Sandra’s soul is undeniable…even during a time where she could have just focused on herself, she was focusing on others. I am in awe of her…and always will be.

Then, this past November, her family got the call. There was a set of lungs that could be a match at Duke! Sandra and her family drove nonstop to Duke that night. The family sat on pins and needles while the doctors were determining if the lungs were actually a match for Sandra. And…praise the Lord – they were a match and Sandra received a double lung transplant!

Sandra getting ready for surgery

Throughout the process, the Cook family and their friends were vocal about their thankfulness of the donor and offering condolences to the donors family.

Sandra on her way to surgery

One life saved another. So remember this folks, our days on earth are not infinite. We do not know when we will meet our maker, if something were to happen to me today, I am an organ donor and would want to donate whatever organ necessary to help another family.

What about you? Are you an organ donor?

As you can imagine, recovery time is long, testing is constant, rehab is an every day thing. All up at Duke.

Sandra’s Second Wind

So Sandra has to have a place to stay while in recovery and maintenance and getting her strength up, which is why the Benefit Breakfast at Siler Presbyterian is happening – to help ease the financial burden of a beautiful woman and her family while Sandra is up there.