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Dougherty Valley High School senior Meachelle Lum last week was presented with an engraved bronze medallion to recognize her selection as a Distinguished Finalist for California at the 2018 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards.
Lum, 17, was recognized for establishing the Lum AVM Organization, an initiative with the goal of raising awareness of arteriovenous malformation — commonly known as AVM — as well as money for charitable causes. The teen was inspired to create the organization after her mother’s death, believed to be caused by AVM, in November 2016.
“If there’s anything else that I would want the public to know, it’s that I definitely plan on growing this organization in college and beyond,” Lum said. “And that the ultimate goal is to help others the way my mom would’ve, if she were still here.”
Since starting the organization, over $90,000 has been raised to support causes ranging from brain aneurysm research to scholarships for women and children’s charities, according to Prudential Financial.
“The organizations and people we reach out to reflect my mom’s passions and her unconditional love for others. I believe she had a unique gift of expressing love and she was an honest listener that looked for reasons to help others,” Lum said
While attending her daughters high school volleyball game Lum’s mother, Megan, felt a headache and a sudden “pop” in her head while cheering for the team. A week and a half later Megan died in the hospital after suffering an aneurysm believed to be caused by AVM.
AVM is a very rare, and mostly unknown condition that only affects around 1% of the general population, according to the Brain Aneurysm Foundation. The walls of blood vessels affected by AVMs are much weaker than normal ones, increasing vulnerability to ruptures.
Similar to heart attacks, ruptures are nearly impossible to detect before they happen, but early detection of aneurysms is possible for individuals with heightened risk of developing them.
After her mother’s death Lum started the organization, with help from her father Samuel, to continue her mother’s legacy of “hope, support and happiness.”
The goals of the organization are to provide: funds for research on early diagnosis and awareness of AVM, as well as local schools with academic and athletic scholarships and “to give back to local churches/charities that directly affect lives.”
The organization donates funds to the following charities:
* Brain Aneurysm Foundation
* UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital
* Valley Pregnancy Center
* March Of Dimes
* American Cancer Society.
Since 1995 the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards– created by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals– recognizes the community service contributions of girl scout councils, county 4-H organizations, Red Cross chapters, YMCAs, affiliates of Points of Light’s HandsOn Network, as well as middle and high school students from across the country.
Lum was one of 10 California distinguished state finalists. Michelle Qin, a junior from Santa Barbara, was recognized as one of 10 national honorees.
“The Lum AVM Organization in memory of her can only aim to be as inspiring and strong as she was,” Lum said of her mother.
