Sapphire Blue
We are especially grateful this month to be the recipients of Sapphire Blue, an MT-Push All-Terrain Wheelchair. As a gemstone, the blue sapphire is reputed to attract abundance, blessings, and gifts, and Sapphire Blue’s entrance into our community has certainly brought us all of these things.
Laura Del Grosso and Sapphire Blue
Sapphire Blue has been donated to the Lummi Island Heritage Trust by the family of Laura Marie Del Grosso of Phoenix, Arizona. Laura was a young woman who was born with a progressive genetic disease, Spinocerebellar ataxia 7. It first presented in Laura when she was three years old and progressively worsened, eventually causing her death a day before her 25th birthday on October 8, 2021.
These are facts about Laura’s life, but they do not convey who she was. She was a runner and a hiker. She loved her dog. She was adored by her parents, Dennis and Gloria, her sister, Analisa, and by the cousins and extended family who were all deeply involved in her life. She loved rosemary pizza and she was known for her exceptional smile.
In the photos and stories Laura’s family has generously shared with us, her joyful smile, her talents, and the giggles that ensnared everyone around her attest to the buoyant and vivacious person she was. Her father, Dennis, says, “While life was harder for Laura, she remained happy and continued to enjoy life with those she loved and who loved her too. Her smile warmed our hearts, and she grounded us on what is important in life: the love of family and having kindness, empathy, and compassion for others.
“In sharing Laura with you, and understanding her story,” he says, “we want you to know she is a compassionate, caring, and happy soul. We know she is thrilled that Sapphire Blue will be used to bring joy to others that are challenged in life with mobility issues. Sapphire Blue enabled Laura, and our family, to continue to experience the wonder and comfort of Nature that LIHT, too, has a passion for.”
As a nonprofit, there is a special privilege and responsibility that comes with stewarding the support we receive. Every decision we make, every program we invest in is guided by our awareness of your trust in us and in our mission. We are exceptionally aware of this responsibility and trust that comes with accepting Sapphire Blue.
Laura named her wheelchair Sapphire Blue, and we believe the best way we can be faithful to the generous spirit of this gift is by helping Laura’s kindness, compassion, sensitivity, and joy flourish through helping people in our community with limited mobility enjoy the natural world. In the next few months, please look for details about volunteer opportunities to help us get more people in our community out to enjoy the beauty of Lummi Island. Sapphire Blue will be at the Resource Center in the Otto Preserve for anyone to borrow and use. For more information, please call 360-758-7997.
We’re very happy to have Sapphire Blue at the Otto Preserve, and we are also hoping to acquire a second all-terrain wheelchair that we can keep at the Curry Preserve for people to use. All of the funds we have collected so far will go toward acquiring a second chair. Learn more about supporting a second all-terrain wheelchair here.
