🥾One Flower, One Life, Hundreds of Smiles🥾

In my history of walking the Camino, I have walked the 100-kilometer trek more than 25 times. To be honest, I have lost track of the actual number. But, for the first time in my 23-year history of trekking, I am asking you to consider a donation to Smile Network for a couple of reasons. First, to honor the life and generous spirit of Jason DeAvalon, and second, to support the ongoing work of Smile Network. 

Here's why: 

For the past ten years, I have had the opportunity to lead groups along the Camino de Santiago from Portugal to Spain, an adventure travel experience created for donors to raise funds and awareness for Smile Network.
 
My purpose in walking each year has always been to be a conduit for trekkers, helping them connect to the magic of the trail. However, in the fall of 2019, my 100-kilometer trek became tragically personal.
 
On a misty morning, just beyond the gates of a church, I spotted a beautiful flower in a pile of pine needles lying on the side of the road, assuming it had been left over from a funeral procession that had recently passed. I picked the flower out of the debris and asked my son, Gino, who was walking with me, to string the stem of the flower through the zipper of my backpack.
 
 "Why?” He asked.
 
I didn't have an answer, but I felt it was important to carry the flower with me.
 
Later that evening, while Gino and I were having dinner, I received a text from an old friend asking me to call. I looked up at my son and said knowingly, "My friend Jason died." That text triggered the words that came out of my mouth without warning, and I knew I had spoken the truth.
 
I loved Jason for so many reasons.  In the years leading up to his death, I had been practicing tough love, and years had passed since we had a conversation. I shared my grief with Gino, explaining that the last time Jason had reached out, I didn't respond. My heart was heavy, and I was consumed with guilt for not having been a better friend.
 
Addiction was Jason's demon, but addiction did not define him. His beautiful heart defined him. Jason was a dreamer, always scheming up ways to make the world a better place. He was a voice for the homeless, the marginalized, and the forgotten. He was an activist for the LGBTQ community. He made things happen and led by example, having climbed Everest, Mount Kilimanjaro, the Singalila Trail in India and the Inca Trail in Peru.
 
Jason completed these adventure trips at his own expense for the purpose of raising money for Smile Network to bring Smiles to the faces of children.  In fact, hundreds of surgeries for children were financed by Jason’s efforts.
 
As Gino and I talked of Jason in the restaurant, a calmness came over me, and the aching I felt ceased. I was reminded of the flower I had found. A single flower. Purple was Jason's favorite color.
 
I knew the flower that had appeared on the road was Jason's doing. It was his way of telling me he was in a better place, that he and I were okay.
  
I still travel with that backpack.  The flower has never been removed.
 
We currently have over 800 children on our waiting list in Mexico to receive the gift of a cleft surgery.  Additionally, we have launched a new program to provide dental services to Native American children living on Tribal Lands in the United States.  Within the last 12 months, we have provided services to more than 431 children on the Standing Rock reservation.  This care will change the trajectory of their future health.
 
Please consider a donation of any amount.  100% of your gift will go directly to supporting a child’s cleft surgery or a child’s dental care.  You can designate your preference through the link provided. 
 
In closing, Jason loved to dance, and I am certain he continues to dance amongst the angels all these years later, and every year I retell this story so he is never forgotten.