Why Not Me - Flo Sheain
Donación protegida
This is Flo. She’s a flight medic with Air Methods, firefighter, mom and friend. Those who know Flo best describe her as generous, caring, energetic, kind, and most of all, selfless. She’s a member of the Gold Shield Foundation and Incident Stress Management, supporting first responders in the state of Georgia. Flo is a hero. True to her character, she has decided to give the gift of life to her friend of 25 years, Collin Veasley. They are scheduled to undergo surgery on January 10th at Piedmont Atlanta Hospital. Please take a moment to read their story and consider donating to help Flo cover bills and expenses while she is out of work recovering from surgery.
Their Story
Flo and Collin met in 1995. Flo was a new EMT, and Collin was a paramedic with Atlanta South Ambulance and a firefighter in Clayton County, Georgia. Flo was living with her soon-to-be husband, David and his friend, Chip, at Chip’s house, affectionately referred to as “Chip’s Home for Wayward Children” when Collin became their new roommate. Anytime someone was going through a break-up or just down or their luck, they would come stay at Chip’s until they got back on their feet. Collin remembers seeing Flo for the first time, shortly after moving in, by the pool, in a Nine Inch Nails concert tee and bikini bottoms, holding a drink. He wanted to meet that girl. He introduced himself, and they hit it off immediately and soon became the best of friends.
Collin’s First Transplant (November 1999):
When Collin went into renal failure, Flo remembers being at a loss.“It didn’t seem fair. He was such a good person. His whole life revolved around helping people. How could something so bad happen to someone so good? But Collin never wavered; he never said ‘why me?’ He said ‘why not me?’”
Collin received a kidney from his Battalion Chief, Dennis Worsham, in November of 1999 and was well enough to celebrate New Year’s Eve 1999 with his good friend, Flo. According to Flo, “we did Prince proud!”
“It never occurred to me that I could be a firefighter, until I met Collin.”
Flo credits Collin with inspiring her to go into the fire service. She had just finished paramedic school (which she says was also encouraged by Collin) and was looking for a career but did not know if she had what it took to be a fire fighter. When Flo became a firefighter for Henry County Fire Department in 2000, Collin showed up at her Rookie School Graduation with a couple of his firefighter friends. Flo said, “It meant the world to me.”
When Collin became a flight medic on the helicopter, she was in awe again. He was climbing higher in the industry, and she was right behind him, chasing him to the top. “I am currently a flight medic because Collin is in my life.”
“He was there for so many firsts. Every memorable moment in my adult life, Collin has been there.”
Over the years, Flo and Collin have worked together at concerts, NASCAR races and even drag races, making awesome memories along the way. Collin was there when Flo and David married and when their marriage came to an end, despite being close with her soon-to-be ex-husband (his then boss), Collin remained her supportive, caring friend. Through marriages, divorces, children and career changes, they have remained close. Collin was there when Flo got her 1st tattoo at Mardi Gras in New Orleans. They celebrated New Year’s Eve in Key West in 2007 and 2008. When Collin was ready to introduce his future wife to his friends at one of the NASCAR races they were working, he would chose Flo to show her the ropes.
It’s Time for a New Kidney
Collin and Flo were vacationing together in Mexico in April 2018 and enjoying a rooftop terrace one afternoon, when she looked down and saw his feet.
“They were so swollen, that I gasped.”
Collin told Flo his kidney wasn’t doing well, but down-played it. He did not want to scare his friend or put a damper on their vacation. Collin hung in with the group, making sure everyone was having a good time and got home safely every night.
After that trip to Mexico, Flo realized that Collin was going to need a kidney transplant in the near future. “As I look back now, I realize I distanced myself from him after that vacation. I think that’s what we as first responders do sometimes when bad things happen. We don’t want to think about it; as long as you can’t see it, it’s not real. I didn’t want to accept the fact that Collin was sick again. It took me a while to wrap my head around it.”
When Flo saw a meme René posted that said, “Hey buddy, can you spare a kidney?” it became real. Collin needed a new kidney.
“It was time for me to stand up for him, just like he’s always done for me.”
I asked Flo to tell me about her friendship with Collin, and why she decided to give the gift of life. These are her words:
He is the voice of reason; the responsible adult in our group. You never have to worry when Collin’s around. He’ll listen to you cry (but not for long), hold your hair when you drink too much and pass out on his bathroom floor, send your boyfriend to the hospital when he gets drunk and punches his arm through a plate glass window, put out a fire that happens in front of 8 other firefighters who just stand and watch, keep you from getting your first tattoo in a dump, make sure you don’t go home with the wrong guy, get your bra off the ceiling fan at a party for you, give you great advice (that I didn’t always follow and later regretted), threaten physical harm to a person you date if they hurt you, plan every trip down to the last detail, and will still be the life of the party.
I believe in life, you meet people for a reason; 25 years ago, I needed a Collin in my life. He believed in me, stood up for me, and never judged me. He has pushed me to be better, to do better, to never ask “why me?” I can’t imagine a world without Collin in it. He’s the most genuine person I’ve ever met, honest to a fault, and courageous beyond belief. He changed my life. Now, I’ve been given the opportunity to change his. How awesome is that?! Yes, I’m a little scared, but every good thing I’ve ever done in my life (being a mom, a paramedic, a firefighter, a flight medic), I went into a little scared, and Collin was with me through all of it. My life is better because Collin came into it.
We have set this page up to allow Flo to withdraw funds directly to cover her expenses as she recovers. Please consider donating to help Flo while she recovers from the surgery that will save her friend’s life.
Their Story
Flo and Collin met in 1995. Flo was a new EMT, and Collin was a paramedic with Atlanta South Ambulance and a firefighter in Clayton County, Georgia. Flo was living with her soon-to-be husband, David and his friend, Chip, at Chip’s house, affectionately referred to as “Chip’s Home for Wayward Children” when Collin became their new roommate. Anytime someone was going through a break-up or just down or their luck, they would come stay at Chip’s until they got back on their feet. Collin remembers seeing Flo for the first time, shortly after moving in, by the pool, in a Nine Inch Nails concert tee and bikini bottoms, holding a drink. He wanted to meet that girl. He introduced himself, and they hit it off immediately and soon became the best of friends.
Collin’s First Transplant (November 1999):
When Collin went into renal failure, Flo remembers being at a loss.“It didn’t seem fair. He was such a good person. His whole life revolved around helping people. How could something so bad happen to someone so good? But Collin never wavered; he never said ‘why me?’ He said ‘why not me?’”
Collin received a kidney from his Battalion Chief, Dennis Worsham, in November of 1999 and was well enough to celebrate New Year’s Eve 1999 with his good friend, Flo. According to Flo, “we did Prince proud!”
“It never occurred to me that I could be a firefighter, until I met Collin.”
Flo credits Collin with inspiring her to go into the fire service. She had just finished paramedic school (which she says was also encouraged by Collin) and was looking for a career but did not know if she had what it took to be a fire fighter. When Flo became a firefighter for Henry County Fire Department in 2000, Collin showed up at her Rookie School Graduation with a couple of his firefighter friends. Flo said, “It meant the world to me.”
When Collin became a flight medic on the helicopter, she was in awe again. He was climbing higher in the industry, and she was right behind him, chasing him to the top. “I am currently a flight medic because Collin is in my life.”
“He was there for so many firsts. Every memorable moment in my adult life, Collin has been there.”
Over the years, Flo and Collin have worked together at concerts, NASCAR races and even drag races, making awesome memories along the way. Collin was there when Flo and David married and when their marriage came to an end, despite being close with her soon-to-be ex-husband (his then boss), Collin remained her supportive, caring friend. Through marriages, divorces, children and career changes, they have remained close. Collin was there when Flo got her 1st tattoo at Mardi Gras in New Orleans. They celebrated New Year’s Eve in Key West in 2007 and 2008. When Collin was ready to introduce his future wife to his friends at one of the NASCAR races they were working, he would chose Flo to show her the ropes.
It’s Time for a New Kidney
Collin and Flo were vacationing together in Mexico in April 2018 and enjoying a rooftop terrace one afternoon, when she looked down and saw his feet.
“They were so swollen, that I gasped.”
Collin told Flo his kidney wasn’t doing well, but down-played it. He did not want to scare his friend or put a damper on their vacation. Collin hung in with the group, making sure everyone was having a good time and got home safely every night.
After that trip to Mexico, Flo realized that Collin was going to need a kidney transplant in the near future. “As I look back now, I realize I distanced myself from him after that vacation. I think that’s what we as first responders do sometimes when bad things happen. We don’t want to think about it; as long as you can’t see it, it’s not real. I didn’t want to accept the fact that Collin was sick again. It took me a while to wrap my head around it.”
When Flo saw a meme René posted that said, “Hey buddy, can you spare a kidney?” it became real. Collin needed a new kidney.
“It was time for me to stand up for him, just like he’s always done for me.”
I asked Flo to tell me about her friendship with Collin, and why she decided to give the gift of life. These are her words:
He is the voice of reason; the responsible adult in our group. You never have to worry when Collin’s around. He’ll listen to you cry (but not for long), hold your hair when you drink too much and pass out on his bathroom floor, send your boyfriend to the hospital when he gets drunk and punches his arm through a plate glass window, put out a fire that happens in front of 8 other firefighters who just stand and watch, keep you from getting your first tattoo in a dump, make sure you don’t go home with the wrong guy, get your bra off the ceiling fan at a party for you, give you great advice (that I didn’t always follow and later regretted), threaten physical harm to a person you date if they hurt you, plan every trip down to the last detail, and will still be the life of the party.
I believe in life, you meet people for a reason; 25 years ago, I needed a Collin in my life. He believed in me, stood up for me, and never judged me. He has pushed me to be better, to do better, to never ask “why me?” I can’t imagine a world without Collin in it. He’s the most genuine person I’ve ever met, honest to a fault, and courageous beyond belief. He changed my life. Now, I’ve been given the opportunity to change his. How awesome is that?! Yes, I’m a little scared, but every good thing I’ve ever done in my life (being a mom, a paramedic, a firefighter, a flight medic), I went into a little scared, and Collin was with me through all of it. My life is better because Collin came into it.
We have set this page up to allow Flo to withdraw funds directly to cover her expenses as she recovers. Please consider donating to help Flo while she recovers from the surgery that will save her friend’s life.
Organizador
Lauren-Ashley Patterson
Organizador
Newnan, GA
