We are coming to the end of National Volunteer Week. And, well, at L+M, we are so grateful to the support all of our volunteers provide. Their work is important. Their work is appreciated. So, on this Feature Friday, we offer a particularly heartfelt thank you to Michael de los Reyes, who is back volunteering after a change of heart – both literally and figuratively. In February, de los Reyes underwent a successful heart transplant at Yale-New Haven Hospital – a life-saving procedure that he says also changed his view of what it means to be a volunteer. The Waterford resident, who is on disability, says his motivation for volunteering used to be somewhat selfish. “It was a way to get off the couch and get out and do something,” he says. But as a patient, de los Reyes met many volunteers who had a different perspective. They were there to support him, to help him and to ease his anxiety. “I started to get visits and encouragement from volunteers who had gone through the transplant process,” he recalls. “I realized then that being a volunteer – it’s not about me. It’s about helping others.” de los Reyes had long suffered from congestive heart failure and news that a matching donor had been found came ironically on Valentine’s Day. “It’s given me a second life,” de los Reyes says. “I have two birthdays now: one is my natural birthday, and the other is when I got my heart transplant.” Back at L+M, de los Reyes has a new heart and a new attitude. “It’s not about me anymore,” he says. “It’s about the people you can help.”
