Who Was Dallas Lowry?
Dallas was born in September 2001. By age 2, he was showing
signs of hearing loss. He underwent a surgery to place a cochlear implant on
his right side, as the youngest patient the state of Arkansas had for this type
of surgery to date. He had just enough hearing on the left that a hearing aid
would assist.
He began his education at the School for the Deaf in Little
Rock, Arkansas. At age 5, karate became everything to him. Within a very short
time he attained a black belt and began “practicing” on his brothers.
Just before becoming a teenager he tried public school at
Broken Arrow’s Sequoyah Middle School. He made several friends and had the
lunch lady wrapped around his finger. She served pizza on non-pizza days just
for him.
He started at Oklahoma School for the Deaf around age 13
where he would eventually graduate with the class of 2021. At OSD, he
participated in literally every sport, including cheerleading. His accolades
are too many to list. However, this is where the “Fighting Heart Award” begins.
Dallas wasn’t the fastest runner, or the best at driving a
golf ball, but he had heart and a ‘no quit’ attitude. He would try over and
over to improve in each sport.
A hard worker at not
just sports, but a part-time job, too. He was a barista at Starbucks. He loved
his job and his coworkers. He was so proud of his store that he helped his
youngest brother get a job with him. During the first week of his training he
was required to sample the products he would be offering up to the patrons. His
family affectionately told him to STOP drinking all that caffeine as his shakes
were apparent from across the room! He loved coffee. So much so, that he
assisted with the set-up of a coffee bar in our home with flavored syrups and
all.
His last, regular day on Earth was June 9th 2021.
He had graduated from high school just 3 weeks before and was hanging around
the house watching a Marvel movie marathon waiting for his next Starbucks
shift. That shift would come super early on the 10th and would be
the first day he and his youngest brother would ever work together.
They didn’t make it for their shift that morning. Dallas was
struck by a car in the darkened street just before 5am. His injuries were grave
and he was put on life support until recipients were located for his organ
donations.
During the hospital stay, a family friend started a Gofundme
for Dallas. It reached just over $15,000 within days. That money started The
Dallas Lowry Foundation and the Fighting Heart Award Scholarship.
