"All In"

Friends:

Warning, this is a long 1,435 word personal, and perhaps uncomfortable post to read:

This should be a blog post with only a brief synopsis here and a Link for anyone who wants to read the entire story, but I have not created a platform to share long posts.... yet. Maybe soon.

It has been three weeks since I received the card below from the Emory University School of Medicine . I have thought long and hard and also sought advice from mentors about whether I should write this post.

It boils down to my life history which I detailed in the third and final edition of The Heart of Networking. After writing and rewriting these thoughts many times over the last week, I decided to post in the hope that the message will be received in the manner in which it is intended.

For as long as I can remember, I have pushed the envelope. If I get involved with anything, I don't do it halfway. I am the poker player who pushes all his chips to the middle of the table and declares, I am "All In", or I walk away. In high school, I learned that my calling in life was service. Over the years, on social media or in person, I have shared the organizations and projects that I have chosen to declare that I am "All In”.

As a result, many of you have joined the effort. Because of you and many others going back to at least 1975, a lot of good things have happened. There are numerous examples of you supporting these efforts over the years. A few of these include Columbus Youth Ministry in 1975, The Atlanta Community Food Bank beginning in 1986, Hands On Atlanta beginning in 1991, techbridge since 2000, the "Real Men Wear Pink" campaign for the American Cancer Society breast cancer effort in 2016, the Aurora Day Camp in 2022, as well as a handful of “Go Fund Me” campaigns for folks or causes that needed a helping hand.

By far, the most impactful effort, where literally thousands of you have participated with time, energy, and financial support is "Atlanta's Table". We partnered with the Atlanta Community Food Bank to create “Atlanta’s Table" in 1986 with the help of my Leadership Atlanta Class of 1986, the MPI Georgia chapter, and everyone else I could buttonhole into a conversation over the last 38 years.

AT grew to 150+ cities around the world and tens of millions of meals have been served. The reason I share the impact of what we have done together is this:

I am extremely hesitant to share this post because, to me, it sounds too self-serving. When I wrote the first edition of The Heart of Networking, I did not tell the “Atlanta’s Table” story for that very reason. After reading the first edition, Bill Bolling told me that the success of "Atlanta's Table" was one of the best examples of networking for good he had ever heard and that it was a mistake not to share the story. As a result, the AT story is included in the 2nd and 3rd editions.

Today, I am sharing this long post for no other reason than I have seen what the power of sharing a story has on the community. Each of you has your own story and I am sure that you have been inspired to do what you have accomplished because you heard someone else's story.

As I reached 70 years of age and began experiencing some health issues, which resulted in receiving a pacemaker and daily medicines for my heart, and a few other issues, I began thinking about the end of life because so far, I don't know of anyone who has beaten the system, although The Rolling Stones guitarist, Keith Richards, could well be the first. ??

Needless to say, this is a very personal decision. I have contemplated a lot of options once my body finally shuts down. Regular Burial, Entombment above ground, Cremation, Green Natural Burial, Pod Composting, and a few other available options.

I had decided on cremation, but about 4 or 5 months ago, my wife, who has been behind every good idea I have had for the last 45+ years, mentioned the option of donating our bodies to science. The more I read about this option and talked to others about the benefits, this became my choice.

I am certain that those of you who knew me back in my hospitality industry days and witnessed me punishing my body on a regular basis, think the better choice would be for me to donate my body to Science Fiction. You are probably right. ??

If this is something that you would like to think about, I encourage you to use ChatGPT or any other AI source to ask, “What is the benefit of donating your body to science”, as I did.

I won’t go into all of the benefits, but my bottom line is that perhaps based on the research and knowledge gained during their study, a young doctor may improve or save a life, based on what they learned from my contribution.

In the Atlanta area, the Emory University School of Medicine is the only school that accepts body donations. However, if you would like your body to be donated to another medical school, that is an option.

My body will be donated through Emory University School of Medicine and directed for final delivery to the Morehouse School of Medicine .

Why Morehouse?

As a white, straight, above average height, upper middle class, Christian male, I have been given every advantage life has to offer. I have understood the power and the tremendous harm of “White Privilege” for almost my entire life.

In a nation that grew and prospered from slavery for centuries, I want to do my small part to hopefully make a difference.

Over the years, our country has paid reparations to over 80,000 Japanese Americans for internment during World War 2, to Native American tribes for land seizures and treaty violations, and to Victims of Forced Sterilization under eugenics programs in the 20th century.

In today’s political environment, paying reparations to the ancestors of those our nation kept in chains for centuries will not happen and it may never happen.

Needless to say, I can’t write a check for $100 Million or even $1 Million dollars to do my part to address this issue. However, I can donate what I have, and that is my body.

As I mentioned earlier, it is my prayer that what is learned by a young student at the Morehouse School of Medicine will lead to a medical breakthrough or perhaps even to saving a life. What greater joy could there be in life and death than to have made a small difference for those we never met during our time on earth?

Once again, my reason for sharing this long story is to explain the option that I have chosen. Since I began researching and thinking about this decision, I have discussed this with a handful of people I respect and trust for their guidance and opinion.

So far, three of the 8 folks have said that they had never considered this as an option, but now they will.

How many, if any of them or you chose to donate their body is not important. What is important is for all of us to understand that we are not called to be Dr. King, President Carter, Mother Teresa, or any other well-known Servant Leader.

We are only called to be us, and if "us" do whatever small part we can to serve others, the ripple effect will go forward for generations.

If this is a path you would like to explore, in addition to doing your own research, please visit https://med.emory.edu/education/omesa/ume/resources/body-donor-program.html

You will learn much more about the program and the process. You may also download the forms that need to be completed to volunteer for the program.

If you decide that the Morehouse School of Medicine or any other Medical College in Georgia is where you would like to make your donation, you need to write that somewhere on the form as I did.

I also sent an email to the program director at the Emory University School of Medicine with my directive about Morehouse.

I hope this long read was worth your time, my friends.

Ricky

Due to the personal aspect of this post, I am not looking for affirmation, condemnation, or a discussion. If you would like to make a comment positive or negative or you would like to ask a question, please send me a direct message.

Thank you.