Contract Superintendent Jason Snyder paid forward $500 to Laurens District 55 schoolteacher Melisande Gillespie and her family.
Melisande has been in Cardiovascular ICU at MUSC since February after major surgery due to an abdominal aortic aneurysm.
Jason says, “Melisande and Keith are family friends, and we go to church together. They’re good people who are going through a rough time right now. This is a small way I can add to the support they’re receiving, and to remind them how much the community cares about them.”
The family’s GoFundMe account notes, “She has had many complications, and still has a long road to recovery ahead of her. (Her husband) Keith and her parents haven’t left her side. All donations will go toward helping Mel and her family with medical expenses as well as hotel expenses so they can continue to be close to her.”
According to MayoClinic.org, Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms (AAA) often grow slowly without noticeable symptoms. This makes them difficult to detect. An abdominal aortic aneurysm that ruptures can cause life-threatening bleeding.
The National Library of Medicine states 35.12 million people globally aged 30 to 79 years suffered from AAA as of 2019.
To donate, visit https://gofund.me/314fb156.
The Pay It Forward program began in 2015.
Every Laurens Electric Cooperative employee is entered into a random drawing to receive $500 to pay forward in any way they choose. Each month a new name is drawn, and the employee then has one month to apply the funds toward their own act of kindness.
This initiative is budget-neutral; the funds will come from Laurens Electric’s charity events, which employee volunteers make possible.
Employees and the community will enable individual employees to help individuals in the community, and that’s a win-win situation.
