Article Page 8
Article Page 9
"Jordan Flashes" and "Jordan Lounges"
Somehow it seemed fitting that our meeting should occur on the weekend celebrating Mother's Day. Nikki is a mother in a league of her own. Naturally, the weekend itself flew by. On Saturday, we met for a late breakfast en route to St. Patrick's Cathedral - where I was invited to speak at a service hosted by TRIO Manhattan, honoring organ donor families. The text of my speech appears here. Although it was a short speech, it meant so much to me to be able to give it there - in that beautiful place, before a unique group of people, each of whom had been somehow touched by the miracle of organ donation. Most importantly of all, the woman who had touched our lives sat before me in the first pew. As I stood on the altar, I was able to look out into the crowd and see her face. Each word of this speech was written with Nikki in mind. This was my first opportunity to thank her publicly for the priceless gift she and her daughter, Breanna, gave to us. Jordan was also there - nestled comfortably in his stroller, besides his father. (We are proud to report that he behaved exceptionally well throughout the service.) It is difficult to describe the emotions I felt as my eyes scanned back and forth from Nikki to Jordan, and I thought about how she made it possible for him to be with us today. The service was an emotional one for all of us, and the tears that flowed from my eyes were for both Breanna and Jordan, for different reasons.
Some of you may have seen the segment on NBC's Today show, which appeared on Monday, May 9, 2005. The Today show was gracious enough to help us make Nikki's stay in New York a pleasant one. Sharing our story with them was one more memorable occasion in our special weekend. I don't know how people appear on television regularly - I was a nervous wreck. But thankfully, the show properly focused on Nikki's heroic story. Jordan appeared on air, and did his best to steal the limelight. Amazingly enough - he was perfectly behaved in front of the camera despite a rocky night. Maybe that's the secret - have a camera and bright lights shining on him at all moments. It seemed to do the trick.
The segment concluded as quickly as it had begun, and we were efficiently whisked away to our cars for departure. Quick goodbyes, final pictures and hugs all around wrapped up our brief weekend. It went by fast, but trying to cram too much into such a short time would have been impossible. We wil have to save more for other occasions to come in the futre.
As always, we thank you all for your continued support. Please continue to check in on Jordan and keep him, and Baby Breanna, in your thoughts and prayers.
-Sadaf (5/13/05)
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