Philadelphia (WPVI) – Over 170 million Americans are registered as organ donors. Not everyone will donate, but for a Philadelphia family, their son’s donation eases the pain of losing him way too soon.
“That’s one of my favorites,” says Lisa Shousky as she and her family look through pictures of her son, Ron.
Ron loved fishing, Batman, and having fun. But he always wanted to help others, too.
Humble is one of Lisa’s favorite words to describe her oldest son. Ron’s wife, Brooke, says it was why he joined the Navy.
“He was constantly telling me he just wanted to leave this world a little better place,” Brooke says.
Ron also committed to being an organ donor.
“As soon as he got his license, that was the first thing,” Lisa remembers.
Ron and Brooke were stationed in Japan when they decided last September to make a surprise trip home.
The night before going to see his parents, Ron went out on a scooter for takeout food.
“I heard sirens stop right outside the neighborhood, and I just like kind of had this gut feeling,” Brooke recalls. “I followed the sirens down the road, and then that’s when I ran up on his body.”
Good Samaritans had called 911, but whoever hit Ron was gone.
The 27-year-old died at the hospital, but his organs saved four other lives.
“Transplantation is really one of the most successful things in medicine today,” says Gift of Life CEO Rick Hasz.
Hasz says new surgical techniques and medications mean more patients living longer and better after transplants.
Donation is the biggest limitation now.
“But making sure that we talk to our family and register to be an organ donor is so important,” he says.
Tattoos of Ron’s signature and a childhood Batman drawing keep his memory alive.
But the Shouskys went all out for him at this year’s Donor Dash, with the largest individual team of around 125 members. They won the award for best team t-shirt.
“That was probably the first day that I felt warmth in my heart again,” Brooke says. “Our wish is that we one day get to walk and run alongside recipients of Ron’s organs.”
The Shouskys are planning for an even bigger team next year. Ron’s dad has already gotten interest from his colleagues on the Philadelphia Fire Department force.
The family also hopes others honor their son by signing up as organ donors.
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