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As many of you know, my big sister Susan Silbernagel has renal failure and it has been awful. It all started back in 2008 with months of weird symptoms and trips to the doctor with no solid answers. She ended up being hospitalized for 3 months and at that time she met with an Infectious Disease Doctor that diagnosed her with Wegeners Granulomatosis. A form of vasculitis. We are so grateful for that Doctor because they finally took the time to look into Sue’s condition and diagnose her care plan. This condition is extremely rare, but then again, so is Sue! She truly is the best person. She provides laughs with no regard for embarrassment and she supplies love and support to anyone who crosses her path, making her one of the most selfless people on this planet. The moral of this part of the story is that we should all strive to be more like Sue! Now, time to move on to the next part of the story… why you are all here. “The Kidneys”, I mean, Sue and Brooke… met while Sue’s Daughter, Sam and Brooke’s daughter, Meghan, played Club Volleyball. Their friendship continued while the daughters played volleyball for Glenbard East High School (GO RAMS!). They travelled with Club, worked Booster Concessions together at East and quickly became friends as they bonded over Aces, Sideouts and “Peel the Banana” (volleyball chants and lingo, duh!). This is turning into a life story, let me just get to the Cliffnotes, because I can go on for days about how special this duo is. Fast forward ⏩ Meghan and Sam graduated high school and went off to separate colleges, but Sue and Brooke remained friends. As soon as Sue posted about looking for a donor, Brooke didn’t hesitate to respond and continued that enthusiasm as she got tested. Keep in mind, this is an extremely long process. So many tests, questionnaires, etc. We hope you don’t ever have to look into this process, but if you do, just know it isn’t quick and easy! This whole thing rocked our family like a hurricane- we were so desperate to give Sue what she needed, knowing that she would do the same. But she found her match in Brooke! This whole revelation was so special and surreal. Brooke has been such a trooper with this entire process, being picked and prodded with no hesitation or thought, knowing that she could help her friend… Brooke has never even had stitches and she went into this process with such a brave heart. Remember earlier when I talked about us all being like Sue? Let’s all strive to be like “The Kidneys”! Well, Brooke is ready for her stitches, coming soon on 9/22/21, and we want to raise money for this incredible cause to help offset some of the costs associated with the process. The bond between these two, coming from GBE and watching this all unravel has been so inspiring and special. The sense of Community arising from this is unmatched. All that being said, let’s do this! Go Rams!!!!
Organizer and beneficiary
Susan Nesbitt-Silbernagel
Beneficiary