The Greatest Gift

I always get a little melancholy around this time of year, missing my immediate family. I was looking at a picture of my brother, Charles, who died two weeks before his 16th birthday and feeling grateful that he was in my life for those first 13 years.

I attribute my relationships with Charles, my father, and grandfather to have set me off on a good course of appreciating men. Thank God I am married to a man who is secure enough in his masculinity to allow me to have male friends. Of course, they most often become "our" friends as well.

One of the best things that came out of my producing and co-hosting "The Talk Show" for three years is finding the National Kidney Foundation. A guest on one of our health segments told me about the Great Chefs of Orange County event. A few years later, I was honored to have co-chaired the benefit in memory of my brother who died of kidney disease. The benefit, which was held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Newport Beach, raised $40,000 for the charity. It was the first year we had a major sponsor in Evian. It was my privilege to have served on the NKF Board for three years.

Recently, some friends of ours invited us to a play, entitled "The God Committee" by Mark St. Germain at the Actors Co-op in Hollywood. This play was about a hospital which had one heart available, and the "committee" was to determine which lucky person would be the recipient.

Afterwards, there was an audience participation discussion about organ donation. A woman was there with her husband, whom she had given one of her kidneys. They answered questions from the audience and a heartfelt discussion of this important topic ensued.

I remember reading about the stunt lady who donated one of her kidneys to actor Ken Howard. She had been a friend of Linda and Ken's for years, Linda also being a former stunt woman.

In this season of gift giving...is there any more precious gift one can give. More good information can be found at http://www.organdonor.gov/ and http://www.donateLIFEcalifornia.org.