Benny and Tonya Lagmay at the University Hospital. Courtesy photo.

As Tonya talks about Benny and their life together, it is so apparent how truly in love they are. She is steadfast in her love and support as she explains to me how they had to close their restaurant, due to Benny’s health, and then she went to work at Safeway in Duvall to support their family and also to receive health benefits for Benny.

She never complained as she told me how they had to sell their home and that they now live in a garage in a home with two other families. The ONLY thing she complained about during our conversation was the fact that she had a cold and couldn’t go and visit Benny until she felt better. She wouldn’t dare chance exposing him to anything that might hamper his recovery, even if it meant she couldn’t see him for awhile.

Tough times either bring out the best or the worst in people; in Tonya’s case it definitely brings out the best in her!

Over the years, there has been an outpouring of support from the Duvall community for Benny and Tonya. So many people have asked about Benny, I asked Tonya if I could write this article to give everyone an update and to also try to raise additional financial support for them.

When I sat down and talked to Tonya, one of the first things she said was, "Have we said ‘thank you’ enough? It’s important to Benny and I, we want to make sure that we have told everyone thank you. We want the Duvall community to know how grateful we are for their support!"

Benny is so grateful that he has written a song about the Duvall community. It’s called "Memories." (More information about his CD will be available soon).

Benny has been on the heart transplant list. In fact, he almost got a heart a few months ago but as he waited in the hospital for the doctors to go and inspect it, he was told the heart wasn’t healthy enough for him. As Tonya explains, it’s called a dry run.

Benny has been living with a pacemaker. A couple of months ago, he started having a constant heart rate of 120. The doctors were not able to slow down his heart so eventually they stopped his heart and put in an ALVAD pump (Left Ventricular Assist Device). The ALVAD pump actually shoots blood up to Benny’s heart so he no longer has a pulse. The pump must be hooked up to an outlet or a battery at all times. Tonya and several family members are currently undergoing training on how to maintain the pump when Benny is released from the hospital.

A couple of days after he received the pump, Benny started choking and he stopped breathing. The doctors literally brought him back to life. Benny had developed pneumonia and had to be put on a ventilator. He has been in the hospital now for almost two months and just recently got off the ventilator.

Because of all of his hospital expenses, Tonya and Benny currently do not have enough insurance money to cover a transplant. Their insurance has a cap so once the cap is reached, there is no more insurance for Benny.

When Benny is healthy enough to get back on the transplant list, he won’t be able to get on the list unless they have the money needed for the transplant. The amount is staggering, over $500,000!

It is hard for Benny and Tonya to ask for help; they know there are so many people who are also struggling. Their hearts go out to the families they have met in the hospital, some that never got to take their loved ones home. Their hearts also go out to all of the people in Haiti. In the midst of all the financial struggles happening in the world, they still need help and it literally is a matter of life and death.

When I asked Tonya what the hardest part has been in this long journey, her response was immediate. "The hardest part is having to watch Ben struggle and suffer."

Again, her love for Benny shines through. She said that Benny’s faith is unwavering and keeps her strong.

If you would like to help Tonya and Benny, donations can be made at ANY Bank of America branch. You don’t need the account number; just say you want to donate to the Benny Lagmay account. You can also put donations in the Benny Jars that are scattered in Duvall businesses. If you would like to help other families waiting for transplants, you can donate to the American Heart Association or you can become a donor at DonatelifeNW.org.

In the midst of all their struggles, Benny and Tonya’s love and faith keep their spirits and hopes up. I am honored to be able to share Benny and Tonya’s story, a love story, a story that centers on getting Benny a new heart!

Does the local Random Acts of Kindness Week in Duvall, Carnation, Monroe and Woodinville make a difference?

There is no way of gauging its success. I hope that it does. I hope that it is a gentle reminder to just do something kind to, or for someone else. I also hope the kindnesses in our communities continue beyond Random Acts of Kindness Week.

I remember when I first started RAoK Week in Duvall to help support local businesses. All the feedback I received was overwhelmingly positive except for one e-mail. It was from someone I barely knew and their question to me was, why was I bothering with this cause; why didn’t I spend my time doing something more important, like helping starving children?

I remember being very surprised by this question, but not upset. I simply responded that I couldn’t take on every cause in the world. I wish I could fix every problem that exists in our world but I can’t, I’m only one person. What I can do is start small, right here in my own community and try to inspire people to do kind things. I was inspired to start a local RAoK Week because of the Random Acts of Kindness Club at Cedarcrest High School. I am still grateful for their inspiration. I am also inspired by all the amazing people in the world who are making a difference through their volunteer work.

Although the success of RAoK Week can’t be measured, what can be measured is the outpouring of support from the Duvall community.

Random Acts of Kindness Week couldn’t happen without this support. RAoK Week doesn’t have a budget or an expense account; it happens because of the generosity of our small community. So I would like to say Thank You to all of the people who made RAoK Week happen this year.

Peggy Filer and the RAK students at Cedarcrest. Thank you for your inspiration.

Lee Ater at Think2A. Thank you for designing the RAoK Week fliers.

The Duvall Chamber. Thank you for paying for the RAoK Week banners.

Sandy DuVall of Duvall’s Dazzling Designs. Thank you for the wonderful banners and all of the free copies of the RAoK Flyer.

Thank you to all of the businesses for allowing the bright yellow flyers to be posted in thier windows.

Matt, Francis and Liz at Duvall True Value and Garden. Thank you for the trees and flowers you donated for the corner of Highway 203 and Woodinville/Duvall Road.

Sarah Thomas and her students in the horticulture dept. at Cedarcrest. Thank you for planting all of the plants donated by True Value. And to my husband and kids who filled the planter boxes with a yard of topsoil.

Thank you Susan, Dean, Shawn and Tony at Valley Mailbox for all of the copies and the RAoK cards.

Thank you Shatzie at Duvall Flowers and Gifts for the beautiful flowers you donated for the Girls Night Out at The Grange Restaurant. Thank you to all of the wonderful women who celebrated RAoK Week at The Grange and to Judy Neldam for being such a wonderful host.

Thank you to Kathy Nelson at Ovaleye Web solutions and Kirk Werner of Itchy Dog Productions for designing and donating my Web site (www.rakduvall.com).

Thank you to Nick Zuclich at NWtek.com for cleaning up my laptop and getting rid of a couple of uninvited viruses so I could write this article.

Thank you to all of the local newspapers for making room for all the RAoK Week articles.

Lastly, thank you to the Duvall community for your continued support of RAoK Week!

We will never know how successful RAoK Week is or how many Random Acts of Kindness take place during RAoK Week. What is certain, it only takes ONE little act of kindness, to make a difference.

The majority of promotion for Random Acts of Kindness Week takes place in Duvall. If you live in Carnation, Monroe or Woodinville and are interested in helping to promote RAoK Week next year, please e-mail me at pcberg@cablespeed.com.

KCLS has been working with the project architect, Johnston Architects, and the city of Duvall to develop a design for the new 8,000 square-foot library that will meet the city’s requirements for a Main Street entrance, adequate parking, and other criteria for construction in the historic section. Boyes noted that the site’s steep grade posed a challenge for the designers, but they had narrowed their proposal to one or two sets of plans and "Those conceptual plans will be brought to the meeting in March."

Every resident in the 98019 ZIP code will be sent a postcard invitation to the meeting, for a chance to ask questions and offer feedback. The March 16 meeting is one of two planned for the upcoming months, Boyes said.

Board members expressed their satisfaction and pleasure with the progress on the library.

The board was also pleased to find that three area students had put in applications to serve as a non-voting member on the Duvall Library Board. Last September, the Duvall City Council formally changed its ordinance to allow for a youth member to serve on the library advisory board, and the board began advertising for applications.

In reviewing the students’ written applications, board chairperson Paige Denison said, "I’m thrilled that we have three applicants."

After a brief discussion of the merits of each candidate and the commitment required on the board – attendance at monthly meetings throughout the term which runs through June 2011 – the board members agreed to recommend one student to the Duvall City Council for appointment, with a second name recommended as a back-up.

Board members discussed the property tax levy increase, Proposition 1, that KCLS has on the Feb. 9 ballot. Duvall Civic Club/Friends of the Library member Joe Lee Davidson mentioned that the information on the measure might confuse voters, suggesting that the levy would increase by 50 cents per $1,000 of assessed value. Actually, if passed, the measure will raise the levy about 14 cents per $1,000, restoring it to the 50 cents per $1,000 rate set in 2002.

Davidson also mentioned that the Civic Club will host a large book sale benefitting the library on Saturday, March 20, in the Rose Room of the library.

Boyes reported that the Duvall branch of the library has steady circulation, which never dropped off since the opening of the new Carnation Library last spring. Circulation in Carnation doubled after the new building opened, she said, and it’s up throughout the entire King County Library System.