For several years, my brother faced deep challenges following the loss of our mother, struggling with addiction and becoming estranged from his sons as they grew into adulthood without him. I sat down to check my phone and discovered numerous missed calls, including one from Lakeland Regional. My Aunt informed me that my brother needed his life support turned off. In a panic, I contacted LRMC, where Ashley explained that he had been in a serious accident. He had sustained significant brain trauma after hitting his head, leading to surgery due to uncontrolled bleeding. Upon arriving at the hospital, Ashley introduced us to his caring nurse, who shared information about his injuries and allowed us precious time with him. After seeing him for a few moments and catching up on his care, we began reaching out to family and friends. He remained in the TICU alone. The police had only provided LRMC with his name and birthdate through fingerprinting, but no good emergency contact, as my mother died 5 years ago. The State of Florida was preparing to take over his care and remove his life support. Ashley found us just in time.

As we learned more, we discovered that he had long ago chosen to be an organ donor and had signed a DNR at some point, sparing us from making those difficult decisions and spending the rest of our lives questioning whether we did the right thing. In a rare turn of events, he became an organ donor. He was stable enough to donate, passing all tests except for his lungs. We gave him the chance to keep fighting and breathing until life support was disconnected. As he took his final breaths, we surrounded him with love, holding his hands tightly. In that moment, we cried both for our loss and for the joy of fulfilling his last wish. We were able to be there for him because of Ashley, who went above and beyond to find us. She scoured social media and reached out tirelessly until she located us, showing unwavering determination to do the right thing. Because of her efforts, his tissues and organs will help save lives across the country. Ashley gave us the hope we had been searching for—a reconnection with him. We also now have closure for his sons and the chance to remember him as a hero. Thanks to her, he will live on through his gifts. I now realize that everything unfolded as it was meant to. Ashley’s gift to us is truly priceless. While we cannot buy more time, the precious moments we shared are what make life meaningful. Thank you, Ashley, for your love, dedication, kindness, and care. Blessings to you and your family from ours. We will be forever grateful.