A Good Deed That Is Its Own Reward
ASB member receives recognition from the governor but, more importantly, for his daughter
Charlie Waldrep, of Waldrep Stewart & Kendrick LLC in Birmingham, was recently presented Governor Riley's Certificate of Appreciation for his volunteer contributions and community service. Waldrep approaches each of his many community projects with passion; however, one is especially close to his heart.
Waldrep lost his 24-year-old daughter, Brittany Waldrep, to ovarian cancer two years ago. His daughter's courage during her fight motivated Waldrep and the rest of Brittany's family to make a difference. He and Brittany's mother, Suzanne, and her sisters, Stacy Miner and Megan Fenstermaker, successfully led the effort to create the nation's first Ovarian Cancer Research license plate in their home state of Alabama.
"There is no grief like the loss of a child. I can't begin to tell you how hard I prayed for a miracle for my daughter," Waldrep said. "I was with her when she was born on September 25, 1981. Just the nurse and I were with her when she died shortly after midnight on July 20, 2006. I hugged her so tightly on both occasions, but with such different emotions. God knows I miss her!"
Waldrep hopes to raise enough money to allow researchers the funding necessary to develop a reliable test to catch ovarian cancer early.
"It is my goal that one day I can tell other men to remind their sisters, daughters, mothers and wives to be tested annually for ovarian cancer. At present that is simply not an option."
There is currently no test available to detect ovarian cancer. By the time symptoms lead to a diagnosis of ovarian cancer, women face a very high mortality rate, Waldrep said. He hopes the funding from the license plate project will aid ovarian cancer research efforts to prevent further loss.
"The requirement of obtaining orders for 1,000 tags could not have been reached without the help of the Birmingham Automobile Dealers Association, which contributed $35,000 to the project dubbed 'Drive Out Ovarian Cancer,' "said Waldrep.
Waldrep is hopeful that support from the Automobile Dealers Association for the license plate project will be taken to a national level, so that all Americans can participate in the efforts to detect and treat ovarian cancer.
"These license plates will raise money and awareness," Waldrep said. "The time is now to turn attention to ovarian cancer. Every day, we're moving in the right direction."
For more information about the license plate, visit www.ovariancancercartag.com.
