Fighting for Issac... the Marist Way

“The Marist Way” is a phrase I am growing to understand more and more as a young adult. Driving back onto my high school campus this afternoon I felt as though I was witnessing this phrase in action. It’s a phrase about the lessons we all had instilled in us as students at Marist. Those are to be true disciples of Christ, instruments of His mercy, called by a “gracious choice” to do His will, possess an ardent love of neighbor, and follow the footsteps of Mary by placing our trust in God in all that we do.

These lessons require discipline to live by in a world where every day stresses pull us in different directions of despair, anxiety and frustration, but life is so much sweeter when we adhere to them.

A few weeks ago an email went out on the Marist alumni listserv petitioning all in the Marist family to prayerfully consider finding God’s grace to make a choice and help save the life of a 10^th grade student, Issac del Valle who is battling a second round of T cell leukemia. http://brookhaven.11alive.com/news/news/83154-fighting-isaac-teen-seeks-bone-marrow-donor-beat-leukemia The email asked anybody who was able to get tested, to do so in order to determine if any of us would be a match for Issac’s best chance of survival, a bone marrow transplant.

I had no idea who Issac was, but watching his video from 11-Alive, who has partnered with CURE for cancer to find a match for Issac and sponsored the drive today at Marist, I couldn’t help but feel compelled to action. How could a child this young suffer through what most of us could only find unimaginable?… and twice at that matter!

And then, I realized the petitions for help were specifically targeting anybody between the ages of 16 and 60 of mixed Hispanic and Caucasian descent. I immediately felt God’s presence telling me to try and help. Trust me, I am NO saint (at all ;) and would love nothing more than for the match to be somebody other than me, but placing my trust in God I felt that if the roles were reversed wouldn’t I want someone to help my family out. I knew I would go get tested.

But this post today is not about me and my choice, but rather about what I witnessed when I stepped into the Centennial Center gym today. There were hundreds of people milling around doing everything they could to save a life. It’s the ardent love of neighbor that I mentioned earlier that I witnessed. I truly felt at home in a place I had not stepped foot into in a long while and I felt blessed to be a part of the Marist family knowing fully what that meant as a product of the school.

Over the past year I have participated in many Marist alumni events from the Emmaus retreat which brought me back to the faith centered direction I had in high school to the many networking breakfasts and dinners held at the Buckhead club. One theme resounds at all of these events and it’s the Marist Way. It’s a feeling I can’t quite put into words of simply knowing people care and you always have a supportive family that will guide you through life’s ups and downs. It is hard to even believe that I can still feel that sense of community at Marist events and functions nearly 10 years after I left that campus.

When I was testing today, Issac and his parents walked into the gym tailed by 11-Alive cameras documenting his every move. If you didn’t know his story you’d just think he was the happiest little kid. It really brought tears to everyone’s eyes to see the glow of appreciation on his face as he waved and thanked everyone for being there.

I think there's something special about living the Marist way that all of us can benefit from. I pray Issac does find a match and I pray that he lives a long and fulfilling life cancer free. Something tells me that one day he will look back as I am doing now and appreciate the message behind the phrase living “the Marist way.”

If you're reading this, please pray for Issac and his family that they may overcome the difficult challenges that lie ahead of them in the weeks to come.