Team Incredible

Today I dedicate my blog post to my friend, Alison Beier, and her son, Evan. Who also goes by Mr. Incredible, a moniker well earned, in my opinion.

Alison's little boy is 2 1/2 years old and today she is donating one of her kidneys to him. He has had numerous medical problems since he was born and doctors didn't think he'd live more than a few days. Time and again he has proved them wrong, earning him the Incredible name. If the transplant today is a success, things will really be looking up for Evan and his health.

I met Alison in high school and was delighted to reconnect with her over Facebook years later. I remember getting to know her in freshman honors biology, where we spent quite a lot of class splitting our sides laughing (and avoiding the scary fridge filled with ancient experiments directly behind our lab table). She re-enacted a scene from "Bosom Buddies" for one of the innumerable talent shows that all-girls' Catholic high school seem to put on that was an audience favorite and used to tell people, "My last name is 'Beer' with an 'i' in the middle." In fact, Alison was always smiling and laughing, even when things were rough. She was one of the most positive people I knew. I was sad when she had to leave our high school to finish her senior year elsewhere, but am glad that thanks to the internet, we've been able to get back in touch. She is still just as funny, positive, and full of life. She loves her son fiercely.

Now that I've been keeping up with her and her son's lives over the past year or two, I never cease to be inspired by how much love and hope there is in her family, even in the face of sometimes extremely daunting odds. I am not the praying type, but today (and for many days recently) I've been sending her and Evan and her entire family positive, healing vibes and have been thinking about them a lot. I and countless other supporters of Team Incredible have been plastering Facebook and the internet with messages about their story and inspiring others. It's such a small world that when another high school classmate posted about today's surgery in her status update, one of her friends said, "Hey, we're praying for a little boy having a kidney transplant tomorrow at the school where I work. I wonder if it's the same one?" It is. She had never met Alison but someone at her school had spread the word. It amazes me how much this one boy's story has touched so many people.

I invite you to keep Alison, Evan, and their family in your hearts, thoughts, prayers--however it is that you roll--today and for the next few days. To learn more about Evan and see photos of this remarkable, adorable little boy, check out his website: Prayers for Evan.