When you hear the name Zach Raymond, what comes to mind? For some, it might be Bruin Football. Attending a Bruin football game sure brought out Zach’s passion, especially when played against the Trojans. Wow, did Zach’s blue eyes light up whenever UCLA scored against USC!
Perhaps, upon hearing Zach’s name, you are reminded of an awesome outing to a just opened ethnic restaurant seemingly unknown to all other than Zach. For those who enjoyed these types of outings did you ever watch in astonishment as to what Zach ordered and willingly ate?
Thinking of Zach are you reminded of some new musical group that performed at some venue that you never knew existed? How in the world did he ever hear of this band? And, you know what? You probably left the concert really liking the band he introduced to you. But, naturally the band did not measure up to the Stones, how could they?
How about playing 18 holes with Zach? Can you remember some of the jokes Zach would tell while walking the greens? Did Zach ever take you to some cool underground bar in Hollywood, like the Cat and the Fiddle? How did he ever stumble across this place?
Can you ever remember Zach’s exuberance and skill of persuasion getting the best of your better judgment? Did Zach ever convince you to go into a bar in the middle of nowhere with nothing but a dozen Harley Davidsons parked out front, and naturally, this was back when mostly Hell’s Angels were the exclusive riders of Harleys? Zach left that bar with a dozen new friends as all the Hell’s Angels were gathered around Zach and exchanging stories with him before we even finished our first beer. No one ever made friends easier than Zach!
Can you recall what a giver Zach was? Did you ever ask Zach for something, or for a favor, and hear the word “no”? I did not think so.
Once, when I was a recent college graduate without much money to my name, I was faced with an unexpected, immediate housing crisis. Where was I going to sleep? Without so much as a hint from me, Zach invited me into his family home, where I was welcomed with open arms, provided with a place to sleep, and fed all I could eat. The saying “the apple does not fall far from the tree” tends to be true, from my observations, and Zach’s giving nature clearly was passed down from both his parents, Dr. and Mrs. Raymond.
Zach passed away on June 24, 2018. His sudden death shocked us all. What did not shock us was to learn that Zach was a registered organ donor. For those of you who are squeamish like me, I will spare you the details. Let’s just say that thanks to Zach’s generosity he is helping many others through his donation directly and through much needed anatomy research.
As of April 2018, there were over 114,000 men, women and children on the national transplant waiting list. Maybe, you know one of them? Every day, 20 people die waiting for a transplant. (Read that last sentence again).
One organ donor can save up to 8 lives. On behalf of Zach, I would like to request that you too sign up for the organ donation program. Let’s all try to help reduce the number of people who die every day waiting for a transplant because 20 deaths per day are way too many. Thanks to Zach’s example, I too have registered as an organ donor.
Please encourage your friends, family, and co-workers to register through the Zachary Raymond Organ Donation Challenge. Thank you.
With Much Love,
Lance Stevenson
