Tom had been very upfront with family and friends that he wanted to donate his organs if something happened to him. He has also made the decision when he renewed his driver’s license and noted that he wanted to be an organ donation.  Tom was in a fluke water skiing accident at his family cabin in northern MN on June 11, 2021. He was airlifted to North Memorial Hospital in Minneapolis, MN and after several neurological examinations, the doctors were not able to find any brain activity. His heat was still beating, but his breathing was done through a ventilator.  His family was approached by the doctors regarding possible organ donation and it was an easy choice for the family as Tom had made his wishes well known.

The family met with Life Source who was extremely compassionate. Life Source is a nonprofit organization dedicated to saving lives through organ, eye, and tissue donation in the Upper Midwest. Life Source started the process of finding possible matches for Tom’s organs and within 48 hours, there were matches for all of his organs. Life Source provided a very meaningful flag-raising ceremony to recognize Tom’s selfless donations that were about to save the lives of numerous recipients. As a family, we were not able to get our miracle of saving Tom’s life, but we did give several families their miracle by donating Tom’s organs.  Through Tom’s generosity, the recipients received the hope of living longer and healthier lives. 

Tom was our family’s hero and after his generous donation, he became a hero to those who received his donations along with their families who will now have their loved ones for more years.

Learn more about Life Source and Organ donation.