A couple of weeks ago, I spoke at a High School in North Scottsdale. My friend Kerstin teaches there. I spoke there a month after my surgery, too. They moved to a beautiful new campus and I was excited to see the kids. I sometimes miss teaching. (I taught Middle/High School for 6 years.)

This group of kids is in a pre-med club. They are REALLY good kids, too. They had asked ahead of time about equipment I would be needing, and everything was set up for me. I had some pictures on my laptop I wanted to show, but I prefer talking and attempting to draw the human anatomy by myself on a whiteboard. It’s pretty funny seeing me try NOT to be inappropriate. The kids always get a kick out of it, too. I think that’s why I was such a good teacher: humor.

Many of the students asked questions after I was done presenting. It was really cool how interested they were in it! Later that day, I got a text from Kerstin, telling me one kid was already thinking about it.

Today, I got a thank you card in the mail. I had a really great day today, and it was just the topping of the cake. Some of the kids signed it, and some are even thinking about donating. I cried. I know that if I had known I could do this decades ago, I would have done it. Just knowing that I got 20 kids to think about it, makes it easier to go through all the emotions.

Our story remains very emotional for me, and it’s been almost two years since I agreed to begin testing. I still relive a lot of it, because I’m always asked to talk about it. I’m glad to, but sometimes I have to leave parts out. My experience was very unique, because I also lost my job and had a lot of publicity to deal with. It wasn’t easy, that’s for sure!

So, keep talking about what you’re passionate about. You never know who you could inspire.