“The best you can give”

Source: Niles Daily Star

BROOKLYN — A Father’s Day celebration of a different kind took place Sunday morning at Michigan International Speedway.

University of Michigan alum Michael Heroy needed a kidney. Heroy, who has two degrees from the school, didn’t have any trouble deciding where he would have the transplant done. His only decision was who would be his donor.

Heroy has four children and three of them were a match. It was decision time between those siblings. His son Andy would be the one to give his father a gift he would remember for a lifetime.

“I wouldn’t be where I am today without him, and now the same is true for him,” said Andy, who drew a big laugh. “It’s one of those beautiful gifts that keeps on giving. It’s the best gift you can ever give anyone.”

Michael, Andy and son Chris were at the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips 400 on Sunday at Michigan International Speedway to help promote the Wolverines for Life, a new program to promote blood, organ and tissue donations. Also on hand were former University of Michigan coach Lloyd Carr, who was the race’s grand marshal, and surgeons Shawn Plletier and Chris Sonnenday.

Michael Heroy discovered he needed a new kidney through a simple injury. He had scratched his leg at a family event and didn’t really think anything more about it until he discovered his leg was leaking fluid.

After a trip to the doctor, it was discovered he was in need of a new kidney. The father of four was in his early 60s. The children were tested and the surgery was performed Jan. 12.

“Obviously, I’m lucky to be here,” the older Heroy said.

So how does this all tie in with NASCAR?

Heroy’s son Chris is the lead engineer for Mark Martin’s No. 5 GoDaddy.com Sprint Cup Team.

So it only seemed natural that Carr, the Heroys and the University of Michigan Hospital would get the word out to the thousands of NASCAR fans in attendance this weekend about the Wolverines for Life program.

There are 111,000 people nationally who are waiting an organ transplant. There were 17,000 kidney transplants alone in 2010. Every day, 19 people die as they await a transplant. That’s a number Carr said just doesn’t add up.

“I am a Wolverine for Life, and that goes well beyond the athletic field,” he said. “Through Wolverines for Life we hope to wipe out the deaths that occur because people are waiting for life-saving organs, blood and tissue. Every day, 19 people die while waiting for a transplant. That’s a score we can’t live with.”

The University of Michigan has one of the oldest and largest transplant programs in the country and performs between 400 and 450 transplants a year. Kidneys top that list, followed by liver, heart, lung and pancreas.

With the Wolverines for Life program, Carr and Michigan are hoping to make this a “life-saving network throughout the country.”

They certainly got their message out to “NASCAR Nation” this past weekend and allowed people to see the tremendous Father’s Day gift given to Heroy.