Extraordinary Offering
The inspiring stories of volunteerism with the Foundation For Molecular Medicine
This is a series of stories from the volunteers at the Foundation For Molecular Medicine, who offer the extraordinary gift of themselves to the mission of the organization. The stories reflect the diversity of personal experiences each volunteer brings to the organization along with their motivation and desire to improve the lives of others.
Volunteerism truly is the Extraordinary Offering.
My Story - My Cousin Johnny
By: Jacqueline Ruchti
As
I grew up, my role model was my cousin Johnny. Two years older than me, Johnny
was full of life and always had a plan, whether it related to his next prank or
a personal goal. I would follow him to the end of the world, if he asked.
Little did I know that the end of the world, his world, was approaching
quickly.
When my family received a call one night
that Johnny had cancer, the floor collapsed from beneath me. I was only seven,
and my previously mischievous lifestyle seemed to be slipping away from me. All
I wanted was for Johnny’s days to be prolonged and every moment of his life to
be the best. So, when my mom switched from full-time to part-time work in order
to help care for him, I didn’t care that I would no longer have the latest toys
or gadgets that became available. My mom’s dedication to family inspired me. I
guess you might say she became my role model too.
My mother taught me what it means to
volunteer. Not only was she my Girl Scout leader and a room mother at school,
but she also gave up a career she loved to home school Johnny when cancer kept
him from attending school. She taught me how to be humble and giving. Thus, I
gave up the majority of materialistic wants to see his smile light up the
room. I remember when all of my friends
were getting a Gameboy color, and we could afford one. My mom even talked Toys-R-Us into releasing
it a day before the release date due to the serious condition Johnny was
in.
For nearly three years, Johnny endured
numerous trials and tribulations. He made many agonizing trips to Children’s
Memorial Hospital in Chicago and one long, disappointing trip to Mayo Clinic.
He was tested and prodded and given way too many life-sucking chemotherapy
treatments. The treatments seemed only to weaken him, and yet, somehow, his
indomitable spirit remained untouched. Then, in the third year, the doctors
reported that there was nothing left they could do. The cancer had advanced to
stage four, and Johnny only had a while longer to live.
Now his willpower was crushed, and for
the first time, I saw the strongest person I knew break down. He was my backbone;
when he lost his strength, I lost mine as well. And on June 23, Johnny died.
That day I lost my cousin, my role model, and my best friend. However, I didn’t
lose Johnny completely. Alive and dead, he continues to be my inspiration.
Both Johnny and my mom have molded me
into who I am today. Johnny inspired me to pursue my dreams and fight to make
them a reality. I aim to match his determination and succeed; he had been given
six months to a year to live and lived for nearly three full years. And because of my mom, I have found a new
passion helping others. At my high school, I am an active member in National
Honor Society, a Student Council Officer, and the Key Club President. In all
three, community service is required, and I choose to embrace every moment of
it. The Special Olympics functions I volunteer in are the most rewarding! If
there’s one thing I’ve witnessed, it’s that one must live life to the fullest.
And today, I am an eighteen-year-old girl who is trying to do just that as I
volunteer organizations, such as the Foundation For Molecular Medicine and
Kiwanis, as they fight for the cure.
 |
| My cousin - Johnny |
