OLDSMAR, Florida – The family of a 13-year-old organ donor will meet the younger boy who received his heart, turning tragedy into hope for each households. On Jan 5, 2020, Jack Martin passed on to the great beyond from suicide. A 12 months earlier than the loss, Martin made a video with his sister, expressing his love for his mom Liz Martin:
“How do you feel about your mom?” his sister requested. “I like cuddling with her,” he replied.
After his loss of life, Martin’s oldsters – Liz and Paul Martin – invited Heather Leigh into their house to percentage their son’s tale. A couple of days after the tragedy, Jack gave lifestyles to six other folks as seven of his organs had been donated. A 6-month-old child in Georgia used to be one of the recipients, whilst a boy in Virginia received without equal reward – Jack’s heart.
At the tip of 2020, one thing exceptional got here within the mail – a letter from the boy’s mom, Cheri Snyder:
“It was really overwhelming in a good way. It totally turned the entire day around,” Liz mentioned. “We expected to have a really lousy holiday and that completely changed everything.”
Cheri shared a video of Ben, her son, who used to be 9 on the time of the transplant. In the video, nurses and docs stroll with him as he’s taking his first steps.
Liz and her family created a video for Cheri, Ben, and the remaining of their family, which opened the doorways to a brand new and loving courting. Two years later, the 2 households will spend Memorial Day weekend in combination and meet for the primary time. This approach Liz and Paul gets to pay attention their son’s heart in individual.
The Martins began Operation: Jack’s Village after Jack’s loss of life. They’ve been running with veterans, educators, and other folks in numerous different industries to attempt to higher perceive the psychological well being of children and the way to assist them develop into extra resilient to societal demanding situations. Their undertaking is to dive into the advanced factor of youngster suicide and empower younger folks to live on, thrive, and leap.
On June 15, their subsequent match is on the Centre Club in Tampa, and there’s a minimal donation of $20. To be told extra about organ donation, click on here.