Video: A Family Shares Their Story Of Organ/Tissue Donation

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WEST POINT, Miss. (WCBI) – April is National Donate Life Month, which encourages people to register as organ, eye and tissue donors, and celebrate those who have saved lives through donation.

Thursday, West Point’s North Mississippi Medical Center honored donor families in a balloon release and ceremony.

“Matthew was just full of life. He lived every moment to the fullest, he loved to laugh and make people laugh,” said Laura Gaskin, mother of tissue donor, Matthew Gaskin.

That’s how Steve and Laura Gaskin remember their son. Matthew was 23-years-old when he was tragically killed in a car accident, and that is when their journey with tissue donation began.

“He had a wreck on Oktoc Road on January 25th, 2008 and was dead at the scene and we knew from some conversations we had with him that he wanted to be an organ donor and so we asked if he could donate and he had to donate tissue. He couldn’t donate organs because he passed away at the scene. The comfort that it gave knowing that people were being helped, it was just amazing.,” said Steve Gaskin.

Matthew has donated to 39 people across 17 states with ages ranging from 7 to 82.

One person who received tissue from Matthew has reached out to the family.

The parents say seeing their son touching so many lives is comforting.

“Ms. Landers from Illinois, she found out that she received Matthew’s bone tissue to replace a vertebra in her neck and she went through the steps of contacting us. So, we actually, after letters, have talked to her on the phone and hope to meet her someday. And like the heart valve, Matthew saved that little girl and out of tragedy, you look for blessings and I think that’s what keeps us going,” added Laura.

The two continue to share experience with donation in hopes of inspiring others to also become donors.

“One of our main goals is to educate people about donation and the different types of donation and encourage people to sign up so they can help others. We consider Matthew our hero because he loved helping other people and this was his final opportunity to do that,” said Laura.

More than 123,000 people are waiting organ transplants to save their life.

To register to become a donor, visit http://donatelife.net/