Tanika Williams: Organ Tranplants and Caregiving on Living Your Best Radio with Genma Holmes

Join Living Your Best Life with Genma Holmes as we profile organizations, leaders, and volunteers who lead by example. With extraordinary acts of kindness and charitable giving that help countless lives daily, these organizations, leaders, and volunteers  embody, "Be the change you want to see in the world."

On Saturday, March 12, 2016, Tanika Williams will share updates about her husband, Steve Williams who is in need of kidney transplant. Steve Williams spoke to Living Your Best life audience when a donor came forward several months ago. Since that time, there has been a few twists and turns on his journey to receiving a transplant.

Tanika will share about loving her husband in sickness and in health, the trials, and the victories they have experienced over the last eight years. She will also share about the importance of educating communities about organ donation and transplantion and how it works.  Tanika will also discuss how everyone can help encourage Steve and their ongoing fundraising efforts.

This is a must hear show!

 Living Your Best Life, a radio show that empowers, inspires, and motivates us to live our BEST life, is heard on 760AM The Gospel in the Middle-TN area, Tune In,  military bases and on Ustream.TV worldwide from 9:00-10:00am CST.

More about Steve Williams Story

Steve Williams is on a list of  more than 123,000 men, women and children aawaiting organ transplants to save their lives. Thousands more are in need of tissue and cornea transplants to restore their mobility and sight. Register to be an organ, eye and tissue donor today and provide hope to those who wait.

 In 2008, life was going along pretty good. Tanika's husband, Steve, who is a truck driver, had his own business hauling cars. They had lived in their home for 15 years with their children who were teens. Their life was full of plans and dreams for our future. That same year, a routine health physical to renew his CDL license revealed a problem with his kidney. Their reality changed radically. Steve was in renal failure. He went from driving the country delivering cars to driving to dialysis 3 times a week. He endured the loss of his business, home and mental and financial security. In short, the bottom fell out.

For over eight years, he has waited for a donor.

 Nobody goes through something like this alone and comes out of it whole. We are blessed to have the greatest family and friends. The encouragement and help that we have received has spelled the difference in too many instances to name. Steve and I have had people on every side to hold us up. . Without you we would fall. We are deeply appreciative to you all and we're grateful that you continue to be Jesus' hands and feet for us. The Williams

Meet Paul Morse...A Man with a Great Big Heart

In 2014, I finally met Mr. Paul Morse, a man with a great big heart. I had read about Mr. Morse for nearly two years but never thought I would ever met him in person. I came to know of Mr. Morse through a tragic event that is still overwhelming at times.

On the day I met Mr. Morse, I felt God's presence permeating the air as He comforted many who heard the beat of Mr. Morse's great big heart. After fellowshipping with old and new friends, I found a spot to spend time with Mr. Morse one on one. I learned right away Mr. Morse was a talker and had the energy of an eighteen year old as he shared his faith abundantly. I will forever cherish the time I spent with him. What stayed in my spirit after meeting Mr. Morse, a man with a great big heart, was a firm acceptance that fate will bring people together; love is truly the greatest of these and can move mountains; and seeing the power of faith in our Savior, Jesus Christ, in action, lifts one to the highest peak.

After meeting Mr. Morse and his beautiful bride, they shared their story on Living Your Best Life Radio. Mr. Morse's testimony about his faith in God, his health care journey, and his life after receiving a precious gift from a young heroic man, empowered, inspired, and motivated listeners. Many texted in to who are on a waiting list to receive an organ transplant and hundreds share updates  throughout the year.

Since meeting Mr. Morse, I have met over thirty individuals who have received the gift of life.  Each encounter has left me more in love with the God I serve. And each encounter reminds me how thankful I am that I knew the young man who taught me, through his family's devotion, to love deeply and to laugh harder.

Ty 2 showing us how to live life to the fullest...still.

Here is Mr. Morse, a man with a great big heart, in his own words:

Psalms 73:26- "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."

Photo Credits: Genma Holmes and Ty 2 Foundation

Paul Morse Heart Transplant Recipient on Living Your Best Life with Genma Holmes

Join us on Saturday, April 12, 2014 Living Your Best Life with Genma Holmes as we hear from Paul Morse, his wife, Delilah, and Baylor Hospital. Mr. Morse is the recipient of Ty Osman, II's heart.

Ty was with friends on spring break road trip to Ft. Worth, Texas in March 2012. Coming upon another car accident ahead of them, Ty stopped his truck to check on the other victims. A passing car hit Ty’s truck, causing it to strike. Ty was admitted to the Good Shepherd Hospital in Longview Texas where he passed away from his severe injuries. Ty was only the second patient at that hospital to be a pre-registered organ donor. Ty's gift of life impacted the Morse Family and forever changed the Osman Family, Ty's friends, and communities around the globe.

Mr. Morse will share about his health before his heart transplant and his life after March 4, 2012. He will share how limited his options were at the time, what is like to be on a waiting list for organ transplant, and why he wanted to meet the Osman Family . Hear Mrs. Morse share about being her husband's caretaker and chief cheerleader and why her she believed praying without ceasing was her first and only option. She will share what meeting the Osmans were like for her and her children.

Paul and Delilah Morse in Nashville

This show promises to empower, to inspire, and to motivate you to live your BEST life. Living Your Best Life Radio is heard on 760AM in the Middle Tennessee Region, the Inspirational Network, military bases, Tune In, and live streamed at Ustream.TV from 9-10AM CST.

 More About National Donate Life Month

Each day, in quiet hospital rooms and busy offices, in familiar sanctuaries and family living rooms, people make the courageous decision to give the gift of life. After passing his first driving test, an elated teenager adds a lifesaving symbol to his license. While struggling to comprehend their own loss, grieving parents choose to help another child live. During National Donate Life Month, we celebrate those who provide vital organ, eye, and tissue donations, and we bring new hope to the growing list of men, women, and children who still need a donation.

More than 120,000 Americans are now on the transplant list, and each day, 18 of them die waiting. The individuals in need of these donations are our moms, dads, brothers, sisters, children, and friends -- someone important to us or someone else. I encourage all Americans to think about their loved ones and to consider becoming a donor. Discuss your decision with those close to you, and if you decide to donate, visit www.OrganDonor.gov and sign up in your State's donor registry.

More About the Ty 2 Foundation 

Ty2 2014 3on3 Basketball Tournament

The Ty2 Foundation has been created as a lasting memorial to the life of Ty Osman, II.  Ty had a heart for others and was a light to everyone around him. The foundation will allow his light to shine forever and will serve the charities that profoundly impacted his life.

Ty Osman was a friend to everyone, always smiling and making others laugh. Ty had a true heart for others. He loved people. While Ty’s life here was way too short, he gave us all a lesson in how to be a friend. He excelled at treating people right. Rich or poor, young or old, and no one was a stranger. He loved the outdoors – to hunt, to fish, to just be outside any time. Ty also enjoyed sports – all types of sports, from football to bowling, he enjoyed them all. And he liked to work; work hard, whether it was on a widows’ home for Both Hands or a mission trip at the Medina Children’s home, Ty never shied away from a difficult task. In fact he welcomed a challenge. He touched the lives of so many with his never-ending smile and constant compassion. Ty loved the Lord. His last Bible verse Tweet was Psalms 73:26- "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."

 More About Baylor Hospital

Our founding principles of compassion, honesty, transparency, and above all else, patient-centered care, guide us as an institution. Being recognized by local, regional, and national organizations for these attributes brings a credibility and prestige to our hospital that you can count on. We have been honored for our clinical expertise, for example with the 2007 VHA Leadership Award for Clinical Excellence, as well as our ability to grow and continually improve, with the Texas Health Care Quality Improvement Award of Excellence. We also have a growing number of certifications and accreditations. Here, you can rest easy knowing you will receive award-winning care.

Our patient-centered focus and quality care is sustained through the compassion and dedication displayed by our tireless team of nurses and other staff members, and the physicians on our medical staff. We are proud to announce that we are the recipient of the Magnet Award for Excellence in Nursing Services from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). The ANCC also provides a vehicle for disseminating and teaching successful nursing strategies and practices. This is the organization's highest honor, given to institutions that are committed to excellence in nursing. We are especially honored to receive this distinction, as only 5 percent of the hospitals in the United States receive this award.


Photo Credits: Genma Holmes and Baylor Hospital

Nancy Osman named BWC's Woman of the Year

Williamson County's Nancy Osman has been named "Woman of the Year" by Brentwood Woman's Club. Unbeknownst to her, several close friends of Nancy Osman gathered to share stories from their lifelong friendships. 

Nancy has worked tirelessly with the Ty2 Foundation throughout the past year while volunteering in the community with several other organizations. Nancy is also well known for her servant leadership and generosity with her church family.

 

The Osman Family (May 2011)

In March 2012, Nancy Osman and her husband Ty, Sr. lost their son, Ty Osman II, in a tragic car accident. A 2011 graduate of Brentwood High School, Ty was a freshman at Harding University headed to a spring break. Ty was hit while helping others on the side of the road. He was always a very service oriented young man, going on mission trips with his family and church. A few months after Ty, II's death, Nancy and her husband decided to do a service project in their son’s memory. 

Nancy and Ty approached the Hard Bargain Association (HBA) in May 2012 about doing a service project in honor of their son. HBA serves Hard Bargain, a historic African American neighborhood in downtown Franklin, TN. The mission of Hard Bargain Association is to impact lives and preserve the Hard Bargain neighborhood by rehabbing existing homes, building quality affordable housing, and enriching the lives of our neighbors.

The only project available was a big undertaking, not a simple one day project. HBA was in the initial stages of needing to renovate the former Mt. Hope Cemetery caretaker’s house into a new community center for the Hard Bargain neighborhood.

 When Ty first saw the former cemetery caretaker’s house, he was overwhelmed by the amount of work needed to be done before anyone could come volunteer. However, when Nancy saw the house the next day, she saw possibility the moment she walked into the house. Instead of seeing a dilapidated house in need of major repairs, she had a vision of how this house would serve the residents of Hard Bargain. When she was made aware that the residents of the neighborhood had been dreaming of having a community center in their neighborhood for years, she began to visualize what an impact this community center would have. She knew it was a perfect fit for a project to honor her son, because he cared so much about giving back and helping others.

While the renovation of the house was a team effort (friends, family, her husband’s construction company, volunteer subcontractors, and the Ty2 Foundation), Nancy was the first one to have the vision of how great this could be. Her friends rallied around her to help organize volunteers for the “Ty Us 2gether @ Mt. Hope” service day on August 11, 2012. Over 400 hundred volunteered that faithful day! Instead of getting stuck in a mire of grief, she took action and channeled her energy into this project. She used her grief in a positive way and blessed an entire community in the process. 

During the “Ty Us 2gether @ Mt. Hope” service day, in addition to the work on the new community center, additional projects were done in the Hard Bargain community. More than a dozen residents received help with much needed repairs on their homes, landscaping, and yard work, as well as simple house repairs. Other projects included the demolition of a mobile home that was in terrible condition and a playground was established in the neighborhood, complete with a large Jungle Gym, horseshoe pit, and picnic tables.

Additionally, the McLemore House Museum of African American History was painted inside and out. Lastly, volunteers help landscape and do repairs on the Franklin Primitive Baptist Church, the oldest African American church in Williamson County.

The McLemore House

The new Hard Bargain community center opened in October 2012 and was named Ty’s House, in memory of Nancy’s son. Ty’s House is a tremendous contribution, not only to the Hard Bargain, but to Williamson County. The former caretaker’s house is a beautiful, historic building that was preserved. This building is one of the few remaining examples of Second Empire architecture, sometimes called the General Grant style, in Williamson County. If not for the renovation, Williamson County would have lost not only a rare architectural treasure, but also a piece of the historic cemetery’s and the neighborhood’s history.

The Hard Bargain build was not the only project spear headed by the Nancy and the Ty 2 Foundation during the past year, but it was it largest undertaking to date. 

 

Nancy and the Osman family are humble about the many lives they have impacted in the communities of Middle Tennessee, across the country, and around the globe. Nancy would be the last person to want recognition for doing what she loves to do, serving others to glorify God. That is what makes her such a wonderful "Woman of the Year".

(I want to thank HBA and the world's greatest girlfriends for your help. )

Other posts about the Ty 2 Foundation

http://genmaspeaks.blogspot.com/2013/02/hard-bargain-association-discuss-tys.html
http://genmaspeaks.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-ty2-foundation-on-living-your-best.html