Bryan’s Blessing Bags
“I don’t do great things. I do small things with great love.” ~Mother Teresa.
Megan Vanderslice was named a Dianne Eppers Cowgirls ROC (Reaching Out into the Community) Award Recipient by the National Snaffle Bit Association this year for a reason.
See the NSBA article about Megan:
https://www.nsba.com/archives/megan-vanderslice-cowgirls-roc
Image credit: NSBA
Her dedication to the horse industry and beyond amidst her own ongoing health battles is a point of admiration.
Case in point: Megan’s brother, Bryan, passed away in 2021, due to complications from his Congenital Heart Defect. Megan turned her admiration for her brother, and her grief, into a positive service to others, just as Bryan had, including an annual event called Bryan’s Blessing Bags.
Read on to hear from Megan:
We are so happy to announce that our donation event will take place over the Christmas season.
For those who don’t know.. my family holds a donation event every year in honor of my amazing brother who passed away November 11, 2021.
Bryan was a special angel placed on earth for 43 years. He was born in the 70s with only half a heart and a multitude of other serious health problems. He was never supposed to make it past the first week of life. But he was different and he survived. My amazing parents went from hospital to hospital all over the US to find someone to help him. He went through countless surgeries, procedures, and so much pain throughout his life.
Bryan was lucky enough to undergo the Fontan procedure that now saves millions of kids’ lives. He never complained. He always fought hard. He always had the biggest smile on his face. He touched so many lives just by his presence.
I was so lucky to be chosen as his sister. He was my best friend and my other half. Watching someone defy all the odds and fighting for their life every day will change you. It teaches you what really matters in life and that love outweighs everything on this earth.
Bryan loved big and he gave back. He mentored so many Congenital Heart Defect families. He spoke about his life. He volunteered his time. No matter what he was going through, he was the first to encourage you and offer a smile. He was truly amazing.
Bryan lost his life to a strep infection. He was born severely immune deficient, so any kind infection was a big deal. He fought like hell for 3 1/2 weeks until his organs couldn’t recover. This was so hard on us all.
Our family stands strong on no matter the hardship… you can always find a way to help others and lift them up. So to honor my brother, we fill bags of anything a family would need for a hospital stay. Toiletries, snacks, games, blankets …. Anything you can think of!!
We donate these bags to the cardiac ICU floor at UTSW in Dallas and the Dallas Children’s Hospital in conjunction with Mended Little Hearts of Dallas.
We take money donations and physical products! I’ll post a link to event! We are always open to ideas to help make these bags better every year. Thank you for helping us honor Bryan and give back because so many people have helped our family over the years.
Ways to donate:
Zelle : 850-687-9270
PayPal : ourays@aol.com
For physical donations, please text for mailing address:
405-210-0912
https://www.facebook.com/share/1JXsxLYX3w/?mibextid=wwXIfr
