Merle Zuel founded MerleJam, now in its sixth year, to help fellow transplant recipients.
About two weeks before his 45th birthday, Merle Zuel was reborn. On Feb. 23, 2007, Zuel became the recipient of a heart transplant. Six weeks later, he attended the first MerleJam, the fundraiser he’d organized to help fellow transplant recipients.
This weekend, Zuel will celebrate the sixth annual MerleJam at Knuckleheads, where he has been a doorman for almost six years. This year’s event comprises two evenings and 10 bands or performers. All proceeds go to the Kansas City chapter of the Transplant Recipient International Organization (TRIO), which Zuel founded several years ago. The event has raised about $40,000 in five years.
The local TRIO donates the money to the St. Luke’s Hospital Foundation, which distributes it to transplant recipients. Money is distributed by a social worker at the foundation in $250 increments, Zuel said.
“Even if you have good insurance, a lot of times you have a lot of extra expenses,” Zuel said. “Insurance may cover a lot of your medical bills or prescription drugs, but it doesn’t put food on your table or gas in your tank. Recipients come from all over the Midwest, and a lot of time they have to make clinic visits here from Wichita or Fayetteville (Ark.).”
Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/05/02/3587324/merlejam-keeps-raising-awareness.html#storylink=cpy
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