CHAPTER :
Over The Edge
With entries from:
maddy springer   —   10 years ago

We all have causes, charities or organizations that are very important to us and our families. For my wife Ronda and me, The Make-A-Wish organization has recently become a group that is near and dear to us. There are several reasons why Make-A-Wish is so important to us, not the least of which is the GREAT work they do. I will say that we have been BIG fans of Make-A-Wish for years but after having attended the Life Celebration of Zach Guillot, the 9 year son of a college pledge brother who lost his battle with a childhood form of Leukemia, Make-A-Wish hit home in a very profound way.

Like many of those who followed Zach’s courageous battle with AML, countless numbers of people, friends, family and total strangers, contributed to the battle Zach’s family took on by becoming Blood Donors. Ronda and I decided that this year we would going Over The Edge for Zach and for Make-A-Wish.

Going OTE was without a doubt the MOST INSANE, SCARY, and FULFILLING thing Ronda or I have every done, outside of raising our own two healthy kids. For those who know me and Ronda, you know I’m a wuss, but I can’t tell you how excited and honored I was to go Over The Edge to provide other children the same experience Zach was provided by Make-A-Wish.

As I set out to raise money, it was just about getting enough to secure a spot. But once I saw the overwhelming support for MAW and what we were doing, it became much more than that. At one point it was about raising the most money but as the donations continued to roll in, and we learned that it “only took” $5,000 to grant a wish, it became more about how many wishes could Ronda and I grant together. In the end, my wife and I raised enough money to grant 4 and 1/3 wishes and THAT is what the Make-A-Wish OTE event is all about.

As the date grew closer, I received a very special donation. It was not the size of the donation that was so special but it was the advice I was given about actually going over the edge that put everything we were doing in perspective. The advice was simple: As nervous and scared as I / we were, going OTE was nothing compared to what the families of these kids went through every day. If they can deal with what their lives have dealt them, then I / we can go OTE….and we did. In fact, you can hear in my video that I uttered those very words as I started my decent down the W.

Thank you to Make-A-Wish for organizing OTE and for ensuring that every child’s wish comes true.

Stuart Stahl

  • - just now