Participant Blog:Danica changed my life
A LiveDifferent Build is an amazing experience, no one comes home the same, but the affects of this adventure were insanely heightened by my contact with Danica. I never knew her. I had seen her once at the resort with Phil and his family, and had heard about her in our morning leaders meetings, but other than that, i had no reason to remember her. Even when the news of her passing came, although hard as it was for me to hear that another statistic had come true, I felt no real connection to her.
On the way to the work site that day, I couldn’t help but cry. I don’t know why I cried, I’m not a crier, I only cried 3 times that whole trip, 2 were that day. I think my team thought I was crazy. Just sitting at the back of the truck, silently sobbing, hidden behind my hat. It wasn’t until Bill told them what had happened did they understand the reasons for my grief. They understood somehow, but I didn’t, I still don’t really. Later that day I had the opportunity to go to Danica’s funeral. I thought to myself, “Now Lea, you have no reason to go, you have hardly any connection with this child.” but for some reason I felt like I had to go. So I went..as a “support” for those who knew and loved her. I wasn’t very supportive. I was sobbing the whole time. I cried about a lot of things. About how a group of strangers had fallen in love so quickly, about how Danica had been cheated by poverty, about how the statistics just keep growing bigger, even though we are trying so hard to prevent them. I was overcome with a horrible sense of hopelessness.After the ceremony, I went up to the grave. I made a vow, to myself, Danica, and to anyone else who cares to hear it. For children like Danica, for those who can’t fight, I will fight for them. That sense of hopelessness changed. It converted itself into a burning desire to stop this injustice. Danica was 18 months old, how is it fair for her to die? How is that right? How can these things be happening all over the world so silently? When someone famous dies, people write books about them? Was anyone going to write a book for Danica? What about the other 29,999 kids that die a day due to poverty? Where is their book?This is what fuels me. Danica gave me a reason to continue my fight against poverty. She is my reason. For her, and all those like her, I will never stop fighting.~ Lea Silver *All participants are given the opportunity to blog so many views are represented. These views do not necessarily reflect the views of LiveDifferent (formerly Absolute) Leadership Development. If you are a Builds participant that would like to share your experience please email your story (and picture, if possible) to builds@livedifferent.com