Two-time heart transplant recipient and Angels of Life founder Lester Crowell Jr. will celebrate his birthday on Oct. 13 with the 14th annual hair and fashion show to benefit the Georgia Transplant Foundation.
The event, which was conceived by Crowell while recovering from his second surgery, has garnered almost $1 million for the GTF. The funds are used for financial assistance and education for individuals undergoing an organ transplant.
Crowell Jr. was diagnosed with idiopathic hypertrophic sub-aortic stenosis and, at the age of 43, received his first transplant when his own heart could no longer function properly.
Following his first transplant, he lived a healthy life, feeling better than ever before. But, after nine years the transplanted heart developed chronic rejection, similar to coronary artery disease.
“I couldn’t even finish a sentence without losing my breath,” Crowell said. “In 2009, I had a light heart attack, which put me back on the transplant list.”
On Dec. 3, 2010 Lester received the life-changing call that a new heart was waiting for him. After his successful second transplant, Lester woke up inspired and full of gratitude.
“I wanted to give back to the community that gave so much to me,” he said.
Crowell, the managing partner of Three-13 Spa & Boutique in Cobb County, said the event at Cobb Galleria will include a fashion walk, a silent and live auction, and “hero” speeches from organ recipients.
One of those speeches will be given by Atlanta resident Noah Benz and his father, Steve. Noah donated his kidney 20 years ago to Steve, who suffered from renal failure for decades.
Steve, an ophthalmologist, said he was insistent after being placed on the transplant list that he would not receive a living donation from his children, but they were equally determined to be considered.
In an unusual development, all three of Steve’s children and two other relatives were potential matches. The siblings had a meeting with no parental involvement, and because Steve’s daughter Jean was single with no children, she was the logical choice.
That is until the day after the decision, when Jean’s boyfriend, dressed in a Santa Claus suit, showed up to the door and proposed to her. Her impending move to Canada and the upcoming wedding put a wrench in the donation plans, and Noah decided he needed to be the one.
“We were all talking about all the logistics and I said, “You know what? I’ll just do it,’” Noah recalled.
That started a whirlwind of activity that brought the family to the University of Michigan Transplant Center in Ann Arbor, MI. in April 2005. It was truly a team effort, with Jean taking care of Noah’s children so that his wife could care for him.
The Angel of Life event typically draws 700 guests. The fundraising starts prior to the event each year with five bake sales, which raise more than $25,000 annually. Tickets are still available for the event. It will also be live-streamed, and those who can’t attend will have the opportunity to bid on more than 200 auction items.
