A Gentle Giant Who Will Be Missed
Nearly 20 years ago, my son Darrick was an organ and tissue donor. Darrick was killed while a backseat passenger in an auto accident.
One of Darrick’s recipients was a resident of New Mexico. He received Darrick’s liver at a transplant center in Nebraska. (There was no local match in need at the time.)
Over the past 19.5 years, beginning with an exchange of letters, then meeting at the 2000 Transplant Games and, ultimately, sharing as extended family, Jim Sears, liver recipient, and his wife, Pat, became a very special part of my family.
Sadly, Pat passed away in July 2017. My daughter and I were able to travel to visit Jim in November, surprising him. We found him restarting his life yet again.
Then, in February, we received word of Jim’s death from his son. While we grieve Jim’s passing, we celebrate his life. Extending his life by nearly 20 years with the liver transplant, Jim also celebrated a kidney transplant in 2014, which was necessitated because of kidney damage due to anti-rejection drugs.
Jim was our rainbow after Darrick’s death. This gentle giant will be deeply missed and always cherished.
-Kathy Mudd Homfeld
