Donor Family

From a young age, Collin Casad admired his older brother Nick — not just as a sibling, but as a role model. Nick’s energy, kindness, and selflessness left a lasting impression. Even after Nick’s untimely passing in a tragic car accident at the age of 20, Collin continues to live in a way that reflects the values his brother stood for. Today, Collin serves as the team manager for Indiana… Read More »Collin Casad

“When they turned that piece of paper around, showing that he had already made that decision, it was very humbling. There was my child’s signature.” — Joy Armstrong   After the death of her son, Robbie, Joy Armstrong has found comfort in knowing that his legacy lives on through his gifts of organ donation. Like many other loved ones of donor heroes, she and her husband Brad found solace in… Read More »Joy Armstrong

“Her life here is gone, but let’s go save others.” – Minerva Coker    

“In the end, something really great came out of a senseless tragedy. We were able to do what Chris wanted, and that’s been awesome.” — Mandy Montgomery For the Curry family, Chris was the glue that held things together and made them stronger. From remodeling his parents’ home to forging an irreplaceable bond with his nephews, Chris was always eager to step up and make a difference. His mom, Cheryl,… Read More »Mandy Montgomery

“My mom wanted to do good things and leave a mark on the world — who could have imagined that this was going to be the way.” – Tina Gaither Tina Gaither likes talking about her mom. Donné Mills, Tina will tell you, was an avid reader, followed current events and taught her grandchildren Black history. She was a stroke survivor who spent the last two years of her life… Read More »Tina Gaither

“My dad was always giving, and so was my husband, Adam. We wanted their legacies to carry on.”   – Anna Gorman Anna Gorman has been a registered organ donor since she obtained her first driver’s license in 1996. Her mom, Connie Gorman, knew about organ and tissue donation from working in the medical field for 35 years. Today, both women are grateful for how a basic understanding of the… Read More »Anna and Connie Gorman

“We wanted to try and prevent any other parents from going through what we were going through.”  — Drew Vanderkleed Just days before her two-year-old son Logan died from a tragic accident, Lisa Vanderkleed was teaching her students at Lafayette Christian School about finding joy in the midst of sorrow. Looking back, Lisa says she believes that lesson from the Bible was God’s way of preparing her family for the… Read More »Vanderkleed Family

“I just got a feeling our son was saying to us, ‘What are you doing? Don’t let a tragedy breed a tragedy; let a tragedy create a miracle.’”  — Wil Worthington  At first, Wil and Rhena Worthington didn’t want any part of it. But just minutes after refusing to discuss donating their 11-year-old son’s organs, they both—almost at the same time—had second thoughts. “I was sitting at the end of… Read More »Worthington Family

“The next 13 sunrises and sunsets were a blur of a hospital, family, tears, hope—and ultimately, the realization that my mom was not going to recover.” – Tracy Cox Every year Tracy Cox travels to the west bluff of Mackinac Island to gaze out at clear blue water and the Mackinac Island Bridge. For Tracy, it recaptures a simple moment in time with her mom. Seventeen years ago when Tracy… Read More »Tracy Cox

“Our dad had a very strong belief in God and strong faith. That is what carried him through his illness and the transplant, and that’s what we were able to rely on when he passed away unexpectedly.” – Ashley and Alicia Barnett, daughters of Ted Barnett Ted Barnett enjoyed eight full years of life after his kidney transplant in 1997. He spent time with his devoted wife, Sadie; Ashley and… Read More »Ted Barnett