A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO THE A&S staff......

 

Dear Aldridge and Southerland family,

Ray and I wanted to take a minute to tell you all THANK YOU SO MUCH from the bottom of our hearts for your kindness and generosity to our family. It was so kind of you all to take up a collection and present it to mom like that. This has certainly been a scary and trying time over the last few months but it is by others kindness, love, support and prayers that we have made it this far. We are amazed and humbled everyday at the kindness, support, generosity and neighborly love that is shown to our family, not only by people we know but people we don't even know. It is the BEST example ever for Jackson and Riley and we know it is shaping them into the people they will become. They will certainly hear for years to come of the love our family was shown and will experience first hand what it means to "love thy neighbor", it is a valuable lesson they are learning.

After such a grueling and long surgery Ray continues to amaze the surgeons and doctors each week at Duke, he is truly a walking miracle. We know that God has a plan for Ray and he isn't done with him yet. I believe that part of that is for us to shine the light of God, to share Rays story and to tell others that through prayer and the power of God he saved Ray. I also believe it is to educate others about the precious, precious gift of donating your organs or loved ones organs. There are so many people who suffer and wait daily for the phone call that they have an organ, Ray was lucky enough to receive that precious gift twice...it is a gift he does not take lightly and doesn't take for granted.

It seems so small and insignificant to just say thank you to you all for what you did but THANK YOU. The donation you made to our family, the calls, emails, texts that you made to Mom as she was at Duke with Ray and I certainly helped her as well. She is definitely mine and Rays rock during storms like this!

So thank you, thank you, thank you! Please keep following Rays progress and story at www.rcb2ndchance.blogspot.com. Our BIG fundraiser event will be a family fun day, blood drive, donate life awareness and Red Oak FD 50th year celebration on Saturday July 21st from 10-2. Come out and bring your family for a day of fun! We hope that Ray will be back in town and released from Duke by then so he would love to see lots of familiar faces.

Thank you to all of the Aldridge and Southerland staff.

With sincerest appreciation

Ray and Janet Brooks (Jackson and Riley too!)