Thanks to Medtronic for sponsoring today’s conversation.
Live On. Give On.
Imagine facing a life threatening illness. We are faced with many challenges in this world, and overcoming a serious disease can take all the energy, determination, and courage that most of us have. I’d like to introduce you to a group of 10 people who, after overcoming their own illness then in turn used that life saving determination and courage to help others.
These 10 people are the 2014 Bakken Invitation honorees. People who not only saved their own lives, but used their “extra life” to help others. People like David Watkins, who after finally being diagnosed with a bicuspid aortic valve, asked himself as he was being wheeled into surgery, “what is my legacy?” After undergoing multiple surgeries, a complicated recovery which included a stroke, David finally recovered and decided that he needed to use his second chance at life to create that legacy. To that end, he started the Ironheart Foundation, and began connecting with recovering heart patients who were getting active through sport.
As one of the Bakken Invitation honorees, David will direct a $20,000 grant to the Ironheart Foundation. David’s words of inspiration, which speak to me personally, are “Start living your legacy.”
Learn about the #BakkenInvitation honorees and win a $100 to help you give back. #LiveOnGiveOn #ad
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While I could only hope to have the courage and determination that David and the other Bakken Invitation honorees have shown, I, along with my husband Alan, try to do our own part with the animals in our community. Most of my readers know about the dogs that we rescue, but I don’t write as frequently about the feral cats that we care for. Not only do we feed and take care of their medical needs, we also spay and neuter as many as we can, plus try to tame the inevitable kittens so that we can find them homes. It is expensive, sometimes heartbreaking, and always rewarding, as we work to take care of the feral cats while trying to reduce their numbers, frequently dealing with city and county officials, negotiating with veterinarians, and working to keep the neighbors happy.
Medtronic would like to help you “Start living your legacy” by giving you a $100 Visa gift card to do good in your own community. To win, simply visit the Bakken Invitation website and tell me which of the honorees most inspires you. Then let me know how you could use a $100 to help your community.
The Visa gift card winner will be randomly selected on December 30 from among the commenters who followed the above instructions. The winner must be 18 or older and be a resident of the US. While the winner can use the gift card in any way that they like, they should use it to benefit their community.
