My brother is the brand new owner of a raised toilet seat and a shower chair courtesy of a non-profit organization called H.E.R.O.
Now that might not sound like a couple of grand prizes, but prior to moving into his new digs last week, my brother didn't even have a pot to ... ... Well, you probably remember the old saying, even if it is a bit vulgar.
We've been able to deck out my brother's new apartment with nearly everything you need in a small household, but there's been a few items that were taking a bit more creativity, and these two assistive aids are hard to find on the thrift market or other channels. But I have heard about H.E.R.O. a few times through my work at local newspaper, and my wife reminded me of it last week in my search to help my brother outfit his apartment.
H.E.R.O. is an acronym for the Healthcare Equipment Recycling Organization, which was founded here in Fargo, N.D. Its mission is "collect & distribute donated healthcare supplies to those in need locally and globally at low or no-cost," according to its website. "Our common sense approach to making resources available through recycling is changing lives by helping customers to remain safe and independent in their homes during periods of medical recovery and natural aging."
In short, H.E.R.O., which it is more commonly known as here in town, takes donations of used medical supplies, cleans them up, fixes them when necessary, and then either sells them at a reduced cost or even gives equipment away for free when a recipient meets income qualifications. ... And, in the case, of my brother, that was the case. He received his raised toilet seat and shower chair for free.
When the clerk at H.E.R.O. rang up the two items and handed me the receipt, I already had my wallet out, and debit card pulled. ... As I stared down at the total, it took me a moment to realize that it read $0.00.
I asked, sounding pretty silly, I might add, "Is this really the case? That can't be. Free?"
"No, really," the clerk said. "We work hard all year to raise the donations to clean and fix up the items so that they can be given free of charge to those with incomes who qualify."
"Wow," I said, "This has been a big week for my brother. You can't imagine what this additional gift is going to mean to him. Thank you!"
"It's our pleasure," the clerk said. "That's why we are here!"
And, it is true. ... Initially known as "Project HERO," the organization began in Fargo as a mandate by the local chapter of the Association of Operating Room Nurses to address the large amount of wasted health care materials from local hospitals, created by the prohibition of re-shelving materials with opened outer wrappings.
According to its website, in 1996, a group of operating room nurses researched a method of safely recycling health care supplies and presented their project to F-M area healthcare facilities. The providers, who were once forced to discard opened packages because of the cost and liability of reprocessing, found the alternative of recycling very attractive. Now they could reduce costly medical waste expenses and help others at the same time.
And HERO was born from that cooperative project and the number of agencies, health care facilities, and individuals joining the effort to recycle medical supplies continued to multiply.
The local distribution of some of the medical supplies began in 2003, and I am so thankful for my brother that it did. But the overall impact the organization has is remarkable. In 2018 alone, H.E.R.O distributed 70,544 medical items, received 3,735 volunteer hours and completed 44 global missions in addition to its local distribution. In fact, with the help of its global partnerships, H.E.R.O.’s supplies have reached over 140 countries around the world and have provided thousands of people with life changing medical supplies.
This story reminded me again today, that a few dedicated people truly can change the world, and in this super divisive period of time in which we are living, we could use a few more heart warming stories such as H.E.R.O. ... Please, if you have the means, consider supporting their global efforts. They can be live changing. ... Just ask me.
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