Triple transplant survivor who shared gift of life with Manatee County kids dies at 78
As a triple transplant survivor, Bradenton attorney Edwin T. Mulock made the best of his extended lease on life through decades of giving back to his community, particularly to children.
“I know I am blessed,” Mulock once told the Herald. “Somebody up there has a plan for me.”
Mulock, founder of Foundation for Dreams and Dream Oaks Camp, a nonprofit which has provided over-night and day camping experiences for thousands of children with special needs, died May 18 at age 78.
He also served as the radio voice of Friday night Manatee High School football.
“Eddie was a great supporter and promoter of Manatee High School,” his broadcast partner Bradenton Mayor Gene Brown said this week. “He was really passionate about giving to those who needed it the most.”
Elena Cassella, executive director of Foundation for Dreams, called Mulock’s death a great loss.
“He was truly dedicated to making Dream Oaks a special place for children with special needs. He was a working founder, always looking for opportunities for us to grow. He would tell new staff members that it will be hard work, but it will be the most meaningful work of your life. He was a visionary,” Cassella said.
The program at Camp Flying Eagle in East Manatee, designed as a fun experience for children, also offered respite for parents, an opportunity for them to recharge.
Born on Nov. 7, 1943, in Tuscaloosa, Ala., to Arthur and Nelle Mulock, he graduated from Manatee High School before completing a law degree at Stetson University in 1968. He and Chips Shore, the former clerk of court for Manatee County who died in 2015, were classmates at Manatee High School and at Stetson.
His transplant history was seen as a miracle.
In 1995, he received a heart transplant at Shands Hospital in Gainesville after contracting virus on a hiking trip in Idaho.
In 2006, he needed a new liver and kidney after having a bad reaction to arthritis medications that damaged the organs beyond repair.
“The odds were tremendous that they could find a match for one organ, let alone two, “ Mulock told the Herald in 2006.
At the time, Mulock the first surviving triple transplant patient at Shands, belonged to a survivors’ club of fewer than 10 nationwide, Shands’ experts said.
The idea for Dream Oaks Camp came from the friendships Mulock made with sick children at Shands during his heart transplant in 1995.
“I promised that if I got through that surgery I was going to do something special for those kids,” Mulock said.
Dream Oaks Camp is now in its 22nd year.
“There is so much to live for, that’s what keeps me going,” Mulock said in 2006. “People think death is scary, but it’s not death that’s scary. What’s scary is the fear of losing out on the enjoyment of living. Missing out on fishing with your kids. You have to want to live, that’s the only way you are going to survive.”
Mulock’s advocacy for children included chairing the Children’s Services Advisory Board and serving on various committees benefiting youth.
Among his accolades: Top Attorney of North America, Martin Luther King’s Outstanding Citizenship Award, Tampa Bay Trial Association of Justice Award and Lifetime Spirit of Manatee Award.
A celebration of life service is planned for 3 p.m. June 25 at Manatee High School’s auditorium, 902 33rd St. Ct. W., Bradenton. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations to Foundation for Dreams & Dream Oaks Camp 16110 Dream Oaks Place, Bradenton, FL 34212.
Arrangements are by Griffith-Cline Funeral Home in Bradenton.
This story was originally published May 25, 2022 at 5:50 AM.
