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Who was Sharon?

The story of Sharon Jepchumba Korir may only be described as inspirational—not in that she died young, or that she was a caring child, but that her legacy provided life to others. Through the passion of her parents to honor her life, Sharon's story was told and told again. So often that it inspired others to act in her name and to strike at the disease that took her and so many other Africans’ lives.

The year was 2003 and it was just one day after Christmas. Sharon and her cousins were helping harvest guavas when a loose dog started to chase them. As the children scattered, the dog closed in on Sharon, biting her on her upper back. The wound was immediately cleaned and her parents rushed her to a hospital in the nearest city, where Sharon was treated and sent home to her village. Everything seemed to be quite normal until the twelfth of January, 2004, when the school called and Sharon's health was deteriorating rapidly. Her parents rushed her from one hospital to the next until she was finally diagnosed with active rabies. By noon the next day Sharon had died.

The shock to Barnaba and Agnes, her parents, and the family was overwhelming. Someone once said that time heals, but as time goes on, the loss of a child grows deeper. Grief properly channeled can turn into a positive force and achieve great things in the honor of that child. Sharon Lives On — that is Sharon's story.

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Why This Foundation Exists

At the time of her death, her parents Barnaba and Agnes Korir knew there must have been some reason for their tragic loss and they knew they needed to honor her in some way — they just didn't know how or what they could do.

A year later, at the gravesite commemorating the anniversary of Sharon’s passing, Barnaba’s former track coach from Iowa State University, Bill Bergan, and former teammate Bob Verbeek (founder of GOLAZO Sports) offered their support — even though no mission was defined yet.

Several years later, at an Iowa State Track and Field reunion, Coach Bergan shared Sharon’s story. Dr. Brian Darrow, a veterinarian in attendance, was moved by it. He knew about Merck Animal Health’s program where buying one dose of the rabies vaccine sent another to Africa. That’s when the Sharon Live On Project was born.

To move the project forward, Dr. Darrow contacted Dr. Ron Tapper, a fellow track mate and vet from Iowa, who immediately joined. Then at a veterinary conference in Las Vegas, Dr. Darrow reconnected with John Lichty, another Iowa State track alumnus — forming the U.S. team for the foundation, pending logistics in Kenya.

Sharon Foundation Story