A Salute to Aimee and Yuriy

Generous people in the Chicago area helped give an Oak Lawn couple an amazing gift: a newly renovated home that's handicap accessible.

It was a much needed boost for Aimee and Yuriy Zmysly who have had a rough couple of years.

Yuriy suffered brain damage after a routine appendectomy in 2006. The marine was at a base in North Carolina when his breathing tube was improperly removed, leaving him in a coma for nearly three months. He began to recover, but is still unable to talk or walk . Yuriy's finace, Aimee, became his caretaker. The two got married and have been living in a small room at Aimee's parent's home.

The Chicago Sun Times wrote a very moving article about the couple in April called A Love Story. People who read the article were inspired by Aimee's devotion to Yuriy and they wanted to help. With donations, a non-profit group called Salute was able to renovate the home where Aimee and Yuriy live and make it handicap accessible. Here's what Aimee told the Chicago Sun Times about the amazing gift:

"I was overrun with emotion. It's just that all these good things have been happening at once and everything, all the bad things in our life, are coming to a close and changing into happy moments. It's amazing that all the people that have come in and done all this work and didn't even know us."

The original Sun Times article is very good and definitely worth taking the time to read: A Love Story

The Sun Times update article talks about how the generosity of strangers helped this couple get back on their feet: Such An Amazing Gift

To find out more about how you can help Yuriy and Aimee, click here.

She Inspired Many

As I was perusing news websites, I came across something interesting when I clicked on the Austin Weekly News site. The top 4 stories on the homepage were dedicated to a woman named Delores McCain who passed away last weekend at 68-years-old.

I was curious who this woman was and why the paper dedicated so much space to her, so I started clicking on the articles.

Come to find out, McCain was an activist who joined the Civil Rights Movement in her 20's. Over the years, she joined several community organizations and continued pushing for what she believed in. Then in her 60's, she decided to take on something new and started reporting for the Austin Weekly News. Her goal was to help improve coverage of the black community.

Browsing the site, I quickly learned how much McCain inspired people. Several of her co-workers at the newspaper wrote articles and messages about the impact she had on them. I thought I'd share some of their words below:

Dan Haley:

"In our 30 years in business there have been a handful of people around here who have changed us and shaped us. Delores is one of them. She brought out our best, lifted us when we were down, had our back when we were battling. And she always told us when we were wrong. You don't get that combination much in life."

Malcolm Crawford:

"I have been told that there are two kinds of people in this world. There are kings-a king is the person who is always out front; the most noticeable person in the kingdom; the one who lives for the attention. And then there are king makers- that is what "Mama Dee" was. Her focus was to use her position to put the spotlight on young people who she believed were kings in the making."

Evan O'Brien:

"Rainy days-that's how I'll remember Delores. It may seem like a gloomy memorial, but not for me. Whenever it rained, I knew just what to expect as I dashed into work. There was Delores, ready to pounce with those same words she always greeted me with on a rainy day: 'You better get out of that rain! Don't you know sugar melts?' I must have heard that line a hundred times from Delores, and I'm sure I wasn't the only one, but I always loved hearing it. Delores knew just how to lift you up on those rainy days."

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I wanted to share this story because it reminded me of a quote I once read by Sasha Azevedo:

"When you love people and have the desire to make a profound, positive impact upon the world, then will you have accomplished the meaning to live."

After reading the articles in the Austin Weekly News, it's clear that Delores McCain did just that.

It's Not Just A Game

A Downers Grove father is honoring his son who passed away last year after battling leukemia.

Michael Rheintgen has started a non-profit in his son's name to support children during their fight against leukemia.

The first goal for the Matthew Rheintgen Memorial Fund is to collect enough money to buy 5 gaming consoles for the Hope Children's Memorial Hospital in Oak Lawn, where Matthew was treated. Why gaming consoles? Well, it was actually Matthew's idea.

Just before he passed away, Matthew told his father he wanted to leave some money behind so the hospital could buy an XBOX for the kids being treated there. Matthew's giving nature inspired Michael to do something more.

On the website Michael created for the non-profit, he explains why he wants to get at least 5 XBOX systems for the kids at the hospital:

"Like Matt, many children spend months in the hospital and have limited visitation because of compromised immune systems or because they are too weak to get out of bed. Visitations may be further limited by how far family or friends live from the hospital. Contact may consist of talking to family and friends on the phone or reading cards and letters that are sent to them. There is not much in the way of entertainment other than TV with few channels and even video games get boring when you can only play them by yourself. So as you can see, It’s not just a game! These gaming systems can connect hospitalized children with the outside world."

I think it's wonderful that Matthew's kindness inspired his father to create a non-profit to help other kids.

To find out more about the non-profit and how you can donate, check out MattsHope.org.

There's also a really nice article in the Suburban Life about the memorial fund: Memorial Fund raises money for gaming systems to help children connect

Landing a Job

A local newspaper has helped a young man with cerebral palsy land his first job.

Several months ago, the Southtown Star ran a story about people with disabilities who are having a difficult time finding a job in today's rough economy. The story highlighted 22-year-old Robert Connors of Orland Park.

The coordinator of the Walgreens Take Care Clinic in Oak Lawn saw the article and reached out to Connors. After an interview, the clinic offered him a position as a greeter. Connors says he's happy someone is giving him a chance and plans to be the "best of the best" on the job.

It's so great to see a business that cares about the people in its community!

Compassionate Stop

A young woman from Oak Lawn made a compassionate stop late last month to help someone in need.

When 23-year-old Holly Swaim saw a car accident on I-88, she quickly pulled over and jumped out of her car to help.

Another college student her age was in the wrecked car yelling for someone to help get her seat belt off-- it was wrapped around her neck.

Swaim grabbed a pocket knife and cut the seat belt. She then stayed to comfort Beth Wallace until paramedics arrived to free her from the car.

Wallace is now at a hospital recovering from several broken bones. She just got the chance to personally thank Swaim for stopping to help. Here's what Wallace said at a press conference yesterday:

"I remember she just kept saying to me, 'You're alive, you're going to be OK.' She just sat with me the whole time and I'm just so thankful that she was there."

It's so great to hear stories of strangers helping strangers. How many of us would have just driven by in that same situation? Or would we have stopped to help? It's hard to say. But on that day, Swaim stopped. And her simple act of compassion meant the world to Wallace.

Check out the video from NBC 5 of the two reuniting for the first time since the crash: