Day 263: Raised For Ray

The town that I am from, Thornton, IL, is a tiny little place just south of Chicago.  I haven't really done any census research recently, but I am guessing there are well less than 3,000 people living in Thornton.  The most noteworthy things from Thornton are that it is home to the 2nd largest limestone quarry in the world, Al Capone had a hideout there, and the undeniable fact that the 1994 7th grade Wolcott Wildcats basketball team would have beaten the heavily favored McKinley Monarchs were it not for some horrendous officiating by the referees.  Although Thornton isn't really famous for anything, I am still proud of the fact that I was born and raised there.  It was a community where, for better or worse, you always knew what was going on with your neighbors.  Regardless of where everyone lives now, it seems that it isn't very hard to know what is going on with friends and acquaintances, although I think Facebook has played a very strong hand in that.  Well it was because of Facebook that I was able to learn through a friend about a former Thorntonite going through a pretty difficult time.  Ray Thompson is someone that attended both elementary and high school with my sister Tiffany (in fact, they went to school dances together).   About 4 years ago, Ray found out that he had an enlarged heart and would need both defibrillator and pace maker surgery.  Since those surgeries, his condition has unfortunately taken a turn for the worse, and he will eventually need to have a heart transplant.  A friend of Ray's has started a fundraising campaign to help Ray and his family out with the funds needed in order to pay for surgeries and the eventual transplant.   So today, for my random act of kindness, I am going to help "raise for Ray" and both donate and try to bring awareness to his campaign.  If you would like to learn more about Ray, and have the means to donate, please visit his associated YouCaring website.