The care house that she and her husband helped establish, as well as a fund for research on regenerative medicine at the Mayo Clinic, continue to support the field that gave her husband a new lease on life. Her husband Jorge passed away September 23, 2020, after which Leslie continued to help spread his and Christopher’s story. Leslie Bacardi lives in the exclusive gated community of Lyford Cay in the Bahamas. The grateful couple, years later, also funded the movie ‘2 hearts’, which told this incredible story and featured quasi-fictional characters of Leslie and Jorge and Christopher and his girlfriend, Samantha. They also helped fund a care home at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, where Jorge underwent his life-saving surgery, for accommodating patients receiving long-term treatments for cancer and organ transplant. Wanting to show their gratitude, Leslie and Jorge contacted Christopher’s parents, Eric and Grace, and eventually became good friends with them. The double lung transplant surgery that the Bacardi executive then underwent was a success, and Jorge got a new lease on life. When 19-year old Christopher Gregory passed away of a ruptured brain aneurysm in New Orleans, his wish to donate his organs resulted in Jorge, who had been on the organ waiting list, receiving Gregory’s lungs. However, throughout their years together and even before that, Jorge had suffered from a congenital lung disease called primary ciliary dyskinesia that kept worsening as he got older. Thus started the jet-setting romance of the two, which eventually culminated in their marriage. Leslie grew up to become an air hostess with Pan Am, which is where she met her future husband Jorge Bacardi of the Bacardi spirit empire. Her father, better known as Bob, was a graduate of the Texas School of Mines and served during World War 2 at the Boston Naval Yard as a Lieutenant in the Navy. Grace has mentioned that she is thankful to have Christopher’s memory kept alive through her husband’s book, the organ donation community, and, most recently, by the movie ‘2 Hearts.’ However, the memory, understandably, is bittersweet.Leslie Bacardi was born Leslie Folk to Robert and Leslie Folk from El Paso, Texas. The two enjoy spending time with their granddaughters and family. Grace, who is a registered nurse, is now working in Pheonix, from what we can tell. #DonateLifeAZCapitol Thank you Representative Noel Campbell for meeting with us today /Ulm9AoJRmXĮric and Grace live in Cave Creek, Arizona, where Eric, having left his job of over 30 years with UPS in 2018, is now a writer, speaker, and volunteer for the Donor Network of Arizona. The same year, while advocating for organ donation and exploring its intersection with his Jesuit beliefs, he enrolled in Santa Clara University’s Jesuit School of Theology for a Master’s degree in theology. In his self-published 2017 book ‘All My Tomorrows: A Story of Tragedy, Transplant and Hope,’ he details the heartfelt empathy of those around him and the incredible process and repercussions of organ transplantation. The experiences that Eric had during the last few days of his son’s life and the days immediately after inspired him to pen and share them. Image Credit: Gabriel House of Care/ Twitter They were also present and gave speeches at the house’s opening ribbon-cutting ceremony on March 17, 2011. The care house, which is located in the Mayo Clinic hospital campus in Jacksonville, where Jorge underwent his lifesaving lung transplant using Christopher’s lungs, was named in honor of Eric and Grace’s late son. The Bacardis helped establish a care house providing accommodation for patients undergoing long-term treatments and their caregivers. Over time, Eric was able to meet all the donors that received his son’s organs, and he and Grace also became friends with Jorge and his wife, Leslie. As his grieving family fulfilled his wishes and tried to come to terms with the loss, they were witness to the incredible medical and logistical process that resulted in Christopher’s organs being transplanted into others who were fighting for their lives.Ī few months later, they received a letter of gratitude from who they later learned was Jorge Bacardi, of the Bacardi spirits empire. Before his death, Christopher had mentioned that he would like to have his organs donated. Image Credit: Santa Clara UniversityĮric was, at the time, working with UPS as a risk manager. Their three sons comprised John, Colin, and lastly, Christopher, who was the youngest. During that fateful time, Eric and Grace were living in Baltimore. Shattered by his death, little did Eric and Grace realize the far-reaching effects their son’s demise would have. The 19-year old was a freshman at Loyola University, New Orleans, at the time. Eric and Grace Gregory are the parents of Christopher Gregory, who unexpectedly died of a ruptured brain aneurysm in March 2008.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |