I met Tara Vancil on facebook. I knew from the moment I saw her profile photo, this girl was an inspirista. No, not because of her gorgeous, long flowing light hair or the contagious energy of her smile. Etched in the corner of her photo is the word “HOPE”.

Of course, when I clicked into her profile page, I began to admire this new friend even more. Her quick profile info reads:

“Please don’t take your organs to Heaven, Heaven knows we need them here.”

I knew Tara had a story, as we all do, and wanted to learn more. In the weeks since our facebook friendship began, I noticed she had a love for the beach, a lot of positive energy, and a dream to meet Oprah Winfrey. And going a little deeper into her profile, I found out that she received the gift of life on March 24, 2003, when a donor heart finally became available.

Tara’s incredible journey didn’t start or end there. In fact, that is just an inkling. She pours out the honest, emotional, inspiring details in her blog- A Father’s Heart. My words won’t do her story justice, you’ve got to read it straight from her by clicking HERE.

Tara’s mission is to spread awareness about organ donation; you’ll also read why her love for Oprah is more than just because of her reach- Oprah Winfrey was the first face she saw when she awoke from her transplant surgery, and since then Tara refers to her as her “Angel O”.

One of the producers from the Oprah Winfrey show called Tara incredibly to let her know that her prayers have been answered, and her dream is about to come true. She will finally get to meet her “Angel O” on November 4, 2010 and attend a taping of the show. Tara posted regular updates of gratitude, happiness, disbelief, with status lines like this:

“Still in just total amazement that my dreams have come TRUE! NEVER give up on your dreams! Chase them with all you have!”

I let Tara know how excited I was for her, and she responded to me personally with a kind message. And then, with the help of her friend, she posted this:

A Dream from the Heart, Realized

A note from Tara Vancil:

Dear friends,

My dream has finally come true. For a long time I have dreamed of meeting Oprah Winfrey. I have fought so long and hard to make this dream a reality. Even when at times I felt like giving up, I stayed the course.

Now, like a dream, it is all coming true! I am going to The Oprah Show!

I was contacted by one of The Oprah Winfrey Show Producers, who had heard about my transplant. They invited me to attend a taping of the show on November 4th, 2010!

Although I am invited to be in the studio audience, my expenses for the trip are not covered. The airfare, hotel costs, meals and transportation must all be paid for by me. Presently, these expenses are beyond my means.

I am asking everyone to please help me cover these costs. Any donation, large or small would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you and may God bless you all!

Love,

Tara Vancil

We Can All Help Tara…

Anything is Appreciated: Share Her Message, Elect to Donate Your Organs, Help Sponsor Her Trip

If you would like to contribute, or know of anyone who can help sponsor Tara’s trip (hotels, airlines, travel), please send Tara a message at:

TLV32403@yahoo.com

And if you have a blog, you can help Tara by posting her note or linking to her website:

http://tara-afathersheart.blogspot.com/

I can’t wait to see Tara’s pictures with her “Angel O”. Tara is truly an “inspirista”!!