Jeff Ballard – Donor

On November 13, 1998 I got a call that every parent NEVER expects to receive.  My son, the middle of three children, our 37-year old son Jeff had succumbed to a brain aneurysm.  At the hospital, my husband and I were approached by a counselor who asked if we would consider organ and tissue donation.  There was never any hesitation or doubt in our minds, the answer was “yes”.

After the initial shock, my husband and I felt our world had come to an end.  Why him?  How could we go on?  We struggled for a long time until the day we received “the letter”.  The recipient of my son’s kidney sent us a letter thanking us for our decision.

The healing process has been a journey.  Part of that process is a comfort in knowing that a total of 49 lives have been affected from my son’s donations of organs and tissue.

Today, our son’s legacy lives through his children and through the lives of others who relied on his gift of life.  So without hesitation or doubt in our minds, the answer is still YES to organ and tissue donation because life must go on.

(Story shared by Jeff’s mom – Connie Ballard.)