Nathan- Cornea Donor

Nathan arrived as an early Christmas present on December 24, 1981. He was an active little boy and loved to trail along behind his older brother Patrick.

When he was 14 years old, he was diagnosed with Chron’s Disease, and had to suffer through multiple surgeries and procedures throughout his life. He told his Dad, he just wanted to be normal like his friends, and not be sick or have to take a bunch of medication. However, when his cousin had to have a heart transplant, he decided that he would be an organ donor when he died.

At his celebration of life, nearly 200 people came and each one had a story about Nathan and what a big heart he had. They told us about the huge hole that would be in their lives going forward without Nathan being there to share it with them. His two children will miss their time with him, staying up all night watching movies, or going to Mamaw and Papaw’s and “borrowing” food to cook when we weren’t home.

He taught them to love each other and always look out for each other. His cornea donation will allow someone else to ‘feel normal’. It will give someone the gift of sight, allowing them to see their loved ones again, or maybe even for the first time. He would be glad that even in his death, his donation would help someone else.