by Ankur Bora, CC
In the many years since I joined Toastmasters, I have connected with many remarkable men and women – they have broken barriers and triumphed over adversities. I am fortunate enough to share their stories through Toastmasters including a recent panel discussion with Dave Bora.
Dave Bora is a resident of California. When he was 23, his brother lost both his kidneys. Dave made a sacrifice and donated one of his kidneys to his brother. In the later part of his life when his other kidney failed, Dave began searching for an organ transplant. As if through divine intervention, he received a kidney through an anonymous donor and had a new lease on life. Both Dave and I grew up in the same neighborhood in India and thus, I decided to organize a panel discussion about organ donation at Thumps Up Toastmasters on January 24th. Before the presentation, I communicated with Dave for several days. Organ donation is a sensitive and personal topic and thus the listener needs to be caring and understanding. The listening skills I acquired through Toastmasters were instrumental in keeping me focused. In my presentation, I introduced Dave as someone who never gave up on life. The Q&A session with Dave was quite interactive as he addressed topics including how a living donor could register at any of the hospitals that perform transplants.
There are hundreds of thousands of men and women around the world taking control, finding their voices, and inspiring others with success. But their stories are yet to be told. Let’s utilize the power of our voice and experience firsthand how a story can change a life. After all, everyone has a story to tell. Stories show us who we were, who we are, and who we can become.
