Carroll Shelby Charity- Carroll Shelby's Childrens Foundation 1991


THamonGT

GT
Mark IV Lifetime
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Something has been brought to my attention just yesterday that I thought I should share with my friends on the Ford GT Forum. I received a call yesterday asking me to Pray for a very special friend of our Friend Carroll Shelby who is in need of our Prayers. Here's the story. Leah Evangeline Smith was Carroll Shelby's inspiration to start the Children's Foundation in 1991. She had a very special relationship with Mr. Shelby and spoke at his Memorial Service one year ago last month. She had a heart transplant at 11 days old. She is now in complete heart failure and needs a second heart. She is currently on a baloon punp and in the Cardiac Medical Care Unit at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis, Indiana. She needs our prayer and support. I met Leah at Carroll's Memorial Service and fell in love with her. We visited quite a while and I told a story of Carroll helping me get a 5 year old boy in Kingsville, Texas a transplant heart in Dallas in the late 90's. Leah told me Carroll had helped hundreds of children the same way and would never talk about it either. Carroll would never tell me or talk about his help, but would only say "It needed to be done and I got it handled". That was the way he was about his Foundation and money. This boy is 15 years old and doing well. He was a great man with deep compassion for others and a dear close friend. He loved the Ford GT Forum members as you who met him at Rally 2 in New Port, Beach.Leah has a facebook page that you can follow her progress on called TEAM LEAH. You will have to search for it. Her's is the one that has her in a red dress dancing as the photo. Please "LIKE" her page, follow her story and please pray for her as she is a Special Person somewhat linked to all of us as Friends Of Carroll Shelby. I'm not one to push a cause and I hope I'm not stepping on any Forum rules. If I am I'm sorry. Tomy Hamon
 
Oh wow that is horrible news about Leah.
 
This bad news today has to be coupled with the little girl that got her new lungs today.

Please, Oh Please, sign the organ donor check box on your driver's license.

In 1979 or so I worked with a guy (bob) who was one of my mentors. His eye sight was failing, and we were in a meeting and he said he had to go get a cornea transplant. It changed my life. Everything of me is up for grabs. do it.
 
I'm with you Tony. Taking still-good parts with you borders on the most selfish thing possible IMO.
 
Good news guys. I just heard from Jenni at the foundation. Check Leah's face book page. She's scheduled for a new heart this evening.
 
UP DATE: Leah Smith has a new Heart! A new heart was found and examined by Leah's doctors and found to be a match and was transplanted late last night. An amazing thing was that Dr. Brown who transplanted her heart when she was 11 days, 22 years ago transplanted her heart last night. Wow. The transplant was successful with some complications in Clotting but she was closed up early this morning and transferred to ICU and is on a respirator. A Miracle and a Blessing has happened and many Prayers have worked. Carroll is up there with a Big Grin on his face knowing he was perpared to welcome Leah home. Thank You Lord. I pray for Leah, her Family and the Family of Donor who offer their love ones heart that it might save Leah. We have witnessed a True Blessing. Tomy Hamon
 
Amen to that, Tomy.

'Have added this young lady and her donor's family to the prayer list.
 
Thanks Tomy, you beat me to it.
 
Leah went home today!!!! Freaking amazing.

I remember when Dr. Barnard did the first heart transplant in 1967. It was sort of like science experiments. Freak Science. Noone could believe that anyone would try that. Monkeys and pigs and other things. Not humans.

It wasn't. A classmate of my mom's was one of the first kidney transplants in the US. That had to be in the late 50's or early 60's as I was old enough to remember but not old enough to know how significant it was.

Carroll had both by the way...