Volunteers Who Make It Possible

We would like to take this page to thank our many volunteers who give of their time without hesitation to getting Secure Harbor off to a successful start and continue with their selfless acts of serving, that allow us to help the families struggling with Amyloidosis and its treatment.  Without these people, we could not be who we are and we own them a debt of gratitude for all the hard work and care they put into their giving.  In alphabetical order:

Carol Antonelli:  Phenomenal.  That describes Carol.  We first met when Tim and I arrived in Boston as she went to battle the insurance company & their denial of the treatment as an in-network claim, for the SCT because they didn’t agree that Boston was the Center of Excellence.  We became instance buddies as we were determined to beat their ignorance.  I remember she said, do you still want to go through with it, and the look in my eyes, she didn’t even wait for a yes, she just went and submitted the insurance and the appeal – but that is another story.  She is the first to meet the families just diagnosed with Amyloidosis, and she has the task of deciding who needs the facility the most.  Without Carol, we couldn’t even have the apartment because we wouldn’t know who to put in it!  Carol’s hard work and care for the families afflicted with this horrendous disease is so amazing.  She is another important link in the line of volunteers who seek to help people first, without a thought of herself or how much time it is taking for her to organize the information from her desk to Church Park to the security people, etc., on top of her already heavy workload. 

Mike & Kelley Dittman:  Beautiful.  If I ever get to be honored to be included as a friend of Kelley’s I would be blessed with a life-long friendship.  We first met at Secure Harbor’s 1^st fundraiser luncheon, and learned of Mike’s diagnoses of Amyloidosis, hereditary.  She was so full of tears, I couldn’t help but want to comfort her, and as it happens, she has been the one to provide comfort to me.  Mike underwent surgery and received a heart and liver transplant; completely ridding him of the Amyloid.  Way to go Mike!  We talked about fundraisers and they said they knew how to run one.  You aren’t kidding.  We thought maybe they could let us know by next year how to do a Raffle, instead they started immediately! The first Reverse Raffle Fundraiser scheduled for October 24^th, 2009.  They blew us away with their selfless sacrifice of time especially so soon after Mike’s transplant.  We are Keeping the Faith, because of hard work like theirs by raising funds that support SH’s programs.

Tim Reid; Exceptional.  Tim is my youngest son, lives in California with his wife Rachael and their new born son, Linkin Michael.  We are grateful they didn’t name him Tim….    What can I say as a mom, I am so blessed to have this loving, caring child, who immediately upon learning that we were starting an organization to help other families struggling with Amyloid; had Jamba Juice, his employer, start weekly Fundraisers which they have raised over $1,000.00 to date.  He and Rachael are currently organizing a “Poker Run” for October 2009, and they are working very hard in their efforts to make Secure Harbor a continued success.  Watch for updated information in the Fundraiser Page of the website in a few weeks.

Matthew Reid: Devoted & extremely patient.  Matthew keeps our website design up-to-date and finds printers, mailers, and anything else we seem to need at a moment’s notice.  Matthew is the CEO of his own company Digital Reliability and he tirelessly works with me each day, which he earns extra merits for his ability to withstand my impatience and run his own business.  Matt is a genius when we need technological information, and need to be brought into the 21^st century.  Our contacts tell us he is the kindest, fairest gentleman and everyone loves to do business with him.  We are so blessed to have such a godly man on our Board, and a relentless volunteer with his many hours to Secure Harbor’s success.  His fantastic wife Rachel is very understanding as we seem to have needs beyond the 8 to 5 workdays and personal conversations melt into business.  At least to date, I am still allowed to baby sit, their beautiful almost 2 year old son Nevan.  Now that is patience.

Chris Thayer is my hero of the month, she is mom to Andrew and Lauren, loving wife to Ron, and relentless volunteer worker for Secure Harbor.  Chris earned her Master’s Degree in Public Administration with the major in Non-Profit Organizations at the end of 2007, and she has taken extra classes at the University of Akron on grant writing, to support Secure Harbor by writing and researching grants.  She submitted her first grant to Google Grants, and thanks to her research, Dr. David Seldin at BMC, said Hey, we didn’t know about Google, so Chris has doubly blessed those fighting this disease.  As our friend, she gives us incredible daily encouragement.  Tim and I are inspired by her and Ron as we watch them struggle to raise their children in a truly Christian home.  She stops by daily, or calls just to see how Tim is, and he and I love the short chats and daily contact with life outside of Amyloidosis. 

Chris & Steve Wright’s continued support of Secure Harbor in Boston humbles us beyond words.  They continue to welcome new families into the apartment by making sure they contact each one personally, and volunteer their time by chaperoning the families to support groups when they are in session.  They let the families unfamiliar with Boston, know that they are there to help them through anything.  The care and love they put into this volunteer position is remarkable.  They are a huge part of the caring that continues to be our primary goal success, in making sure families don’t feel “alone and unsafe” during the treatment and evaluation process.  Many will tell you, including Chris and Steve, what it was like as they entered into the treatment experience @ BMC’s Amyloidosis Program.  They make sure that each family has someone to lean on, someone who has already experienced what they are about to endure.

From our hearts to yours…thank you one and all…………..