The action movie, Justice League was released last week and the reviews are a bit of a mixed bag, but what’s not a mixed bag is this story about real life heroes, selflessness and the importance of organ donations. No doubt many of you have the organ donor box checked on your driver’s license in the event some unforeseen accident claims your life. But how many of you just decided one day to become a living donor? This is a story about a Wonder Woman of a different kind.
You may recall some past posts about my mail carrier, Korrie. Mostly I’ve shared how first Sam, and now Elsa, lose their minds whenever the mail is delivered. Despite being the most laid back, mellow pair, for some unknown reason Sam in particular is convinced that Korrie was some sort of serial killer. He’d go full on Cujo. And so did Elsa. Well…’because my brother does it.’ Every. single. time. The rules regarding mail delivery are pretty simple: (a) see Korrie walking past the house and up the front walk. (b) Raise holy &#@% a ruckus barking at the top of their lungs. (c) Door opens to retrieve mail. (d) Dogs go from 60 to zero when they realize, “Oh yeah, it’s Korrie. Woo-hoo!! Our favorite mail carrier who always says nice things and pays attention to us.” (e) Immediately upon realization of who it is, these two knuckleheads regain their composure and begin leaning against her leg, tails furiously wagging, lovingly looking up into her eyes and enjoying every ear rub and butt scratch she gives them. It’s the same scenario very time and many days they try to head out with her on to the next house. Across the street. Awk!
You may recall, Korrie has delivered my mail for years and like most of her customers along the route, I’ve gotten to know her well and know she’s a Facebook friend to most people from the route (truth be told, she probably knows more of the neighbors than I do!). A former fire fighter in the Air Force whose heart is a big as the Rocky Mountains she loves, Korrie was a mail carrier in Hawaii where she dreamed of moving to Colorado to enjoy skiing in particular, and the great outdoors in general. Korrie is a fitness freak, often competing in Iron (Wo)Man contests and high-rise stair climbs for various causes (she ran a marathon the Monday before donating her kidney!). Everyone in the neighborhood knows her and she knows us, smiling at each person with an upbeat greeting whenever she sees us. She befriended an elderly widower and fellow veteran who lived a couple blocks away and she continued to look out for him until his passing this spring. That’s just the kind of person she is.
So when she happened to mention in passing to one of her customers that she’d like info on how to donate a kidney, he mentioned that he knew someone in need…a young woman who was suffering from end stage renal disease with only 4% kidney function. After Korrie was determined to be a perfect match over the summer, she donated one of her kidneys to Rachel a couple of months ago and recently returned to work. When I saw her back on the route, she was in terrific spirits and in even better shape. Rachel is also doing great and is finally able to enjoy life after suffering from diabetes for some 20 years. The dogs sense the extraordinary specialness of Korrie too because so far they don’t seem to completely lose their minds when she makes a delivery. Sure they bark a couple of times, but now seem to understand just how lucky we are to know someone so selfless and so incredibly special.
And so during this week of Thanksgiving when I reflect about all the blessings in my life, I am all the more grateful to know Korrie, a real life hero and Wonder Woman. In this day and age of acrimony and meanness, a generous and selfless woman who loves life touches my heart and those around her. We are all richer for it and so are my fur kids.
Live, love, bark! ❤︎
What a beautiful story of selflessness! Hero’s come in all forms – and we can all be one since we have two kidneys 🙂
Thank you for swinging by the Ranch. We ❤︎ visitors. Yes, organ donation is not just for when you move on from this life, it can be for saving one while you’re still here.
A hero indeed. Lots of woofffs for wonder woman. The ZAB team.
Korrie is amazing and we all adore her!
Thanks for sharing this story.
😇
Wow…this is such a wonderful story!!!!! So great! I hope one day someone will donate a kidney so my humom’s dad. He will need one within the next 5-6 years. It’s so heartwarming when you read stories like this and know that there is still lots of love and kindness and generosity in the world!
We’ll keep our fingers and paws crossed for your humor’s dad. 🤞🏻
You are truly blessed to know such a selfless, warm human being! And Korrie is blessed to know you! Our mail person hides in his little truck and rarely shows his face. If he has a package, he drops it on the front porch and turns around to run back to his little truck. Granted, we live on a super-busy road; but he’s about as anti-social as Korrie is friendly. Sad, when you think about it.
Some people are just like that. Luckily there are peeps like Korrie. And that doesn’t even begin to count her selfless act of organ donation! Happy weekend.
Wow what an inspirational woman!! She really is a true hero –
and thank you for sharing such a special story!
Lots of licks, your good friend Morrie 🙂
Thanks for swinging by the Ranch. Our friend Korrie is truly amazing!
One of my son’s closest friends donated a kidney to a “stranger.” I think it’s incredible. All paws and hands up to Korrie, one of the Wonder Women of the world.
This world needs more heroes like Korrie. Wishing you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving with no backyard escapes by a certain cutie pie. 😊
We’ve had an escapeless week. 🙂
You can never have too many of those!
What an incredible woman. I’m speechless.
The gesture defies mere words.
What a generous woman! I have often asked myself if I would do it, were I asked to, especially for a stranger. I would like to think so….
I think we all hope we’d do something this selfless if the occasion presented itself. Good to know there are some incredible heroes out there lighting the way.
A wonderful wonder woman!
hugs
Hazel & Mabel
A true hero. Happy Thanksgiving 🦃
What a remarkable story and a remarkable woman!!! She’s awesome!
We think so too!
So glad you told her story…what an absolutely lovely lady.
I couldn’t be more proud of her and her character helping out a total stranger.
Great story here at Thanksgiving.
It really is a wonderful story. Happy Thanksgiving and thank you for swinging by the Ranch.
Wow, she really is a super hero!
Your Pals,
Murphy and Stanley
She sure is!
Korrie sounds like an amazing person, I sooo admire those who donate organs (especially kidneys! Ha! No one would want mine! lol)…and..I am surprised, didn’t you know that ALL DOGS go ballistic over the mail carrier? Yep, they ALL do!
She really is. And it must be the uniform, though as soon as I open the door, they aren’t so keen on the Fed Ex or UPS guys.
What a wonderful and totally inspiring story and person Korrie is!
We sure think so, too!
What a beautiful and uplifting story … perfect for this week of Thanksgiving!
Her story definitely takes ‘giving’ to a whole new plateau.
What a wonderful story! Korrie is indeed a true wonder woman. I’m sure that Sam and Elsa totally understand that. Dogs are such good judges of character.
They are here…once the door is open and they see who is there. 😇
A beautiful human.
Nose nudges,
CEO Olivia
She really is. I want to distill her so I can sprinkle some goodness on me when I need it most. ☺️
A very inspiring story indeed. She is much braver than I am. I’ve got the box checked that they can take whatever they want once they’re sure I’m dead, but I’m afraid I’m pretty protective of my insides while I’m still using them….
I feel the same way. A bit too scary for me to hedge any bets.
This kind of story makes us feel good about our world.
Makes the current state of affairs far more palatable, that’s for sure.
How inspiring! It’s good to know people like that exist.
Indeed, always good to see peeps like this particularly in this day and age.
Wow what a great post! Thanks for sharing this inspiring story! They really do look like sisters <3
They will always be connected. ❤︎
Unfortunately, kidneys don’t grow back. I know a woman who donated a kidney to a complete stranger.
Awww! This gave me goosebumps! What an incredible thing to do for someone who you don’t know. Korrie is a Wonder Woman for sure!! Thanks for the story and so glad that Sam and Elsa have realized the “Wonder Woman” that she is as well! 🙂
A great story for this time of year. May we all be inspired by Korrie.
Absolutely…and one of those that renews faith in humans which seems to be a bit under siege lately. 😇
Very true! There really are a lot of good people out there!
What what a story. It’s one that touches me so deeply because my greatest fear is of being sick or in the hospital. I can’t imagine voluntarily giving up good health for surgery and recovery for a stranger.
I think I’ll have to spend some time meditating on your friend Korrie this week.
She is truly a jewel in this world. Seeing sick people at the hospital, makes selfless people like Korrie even more special. I’m very grateful to know her.
What a wonderful woman!!! Bless her her heart and Rachel. So Glad she gave her the gift of living life!! I have my donor box checked and I tried to donate a kidney to my dad but I was only 22 when he needed one and the doctors refused to do it since I was so young and didn’t have children yet. Needless to say he passed waiting for a kidney. It was back in the day when the transplants just started getting going. What a great Thanksgiving story.
Im so sorry your dad passed waiting for a kidney. I have a friend who is waiting too and pray he is able to find a donor before his kidneys shut down. It makes Korrie’s gesture all the more incredible!
yay for a REAL wonderwoman… they exist … a big hug to Korrie… she is a hero!!!!
btw: our post(wo)man cured the assassin who lured behind the door every day… he gets all mails and he is too well raised to bark with a full mouth ;o)
Now that is one very clever post woman! And I suspect, a real dog lover.