A Life Well-Lived: A.J. Donahue
A.J. Donahue of Brunswick, GA was 16 years old when doctors discovered bone cancer in his right arm. He underwent chemotherapy at Wolfson Children’s Hospital in Jacksonville, FL where doctors replaced his cancerous bone with a titanium rod.
A routine test found a cancerous lesion on one of his lungs. He underwent surgery to remove it and went through an additional five months of chemotherapy. Sadly, A.J. decided against further treatment when doctors found a second lesion.
He remained hospitalized and began noticing areas for improvement. Parents needed reclining chairs during their long visits in their childrens rooms. Patients would enjoy CD and DVD players, along with video games in their rooms. Nursing scholarships would help attract more people to the field.
A.J. launched a Web site to raise money. His flight instructor designed a logo that showed A.J. piloting a biplane. By donating $2 people received a sticker with this special logo. Donations came pouring in from almost every state and many foreign countries. After just 6 weeks A.J. reached his goal of $50,000.
Two days later, on September 23, 2006, A.J. lost his battle with cancer. He was 18 years old. Incredibly, people kept sending in donations. Eventually $76,000 was raised that funded A.J.s improvements.
As A.J.’s life proves, God does some extraordinary things through ordinary people. One teenager made a huge difference.
Dr. Steve Lake is a retired educator with over 30 years experience in the American public schools. He has served in a variety of position, including teacher, elementary school principal, junior high principal, Associate Superintendent, retired from public education as Superintendent of Schools in Lincolnwood, IL. He has his Bachelors, Masters and Doctor of Education degrees from Northern Illinois University. For the past 25 years Steve has attended and been a member of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington and Northfield, IL. At Willow Creek Steve has taught adult classes on spiritual gifts, life purpose, and spiritual disciplines. He has ministered overseas in Angola, Zambia, Honduras, Germany, and Russia. Steve is co-founder of Designed to Serve, a ministry that equips Christians to live out their unique God-given calling. Steve is married and has two adult children who are married.
