![]() When MTF Biologics staff learned about Sally’s connection to donation, they invited her to visit the facility. Ironically, the coffee shop was around the corner from MTF Biologics, a place where staff employees would stop by for coffee on their way to work. Sally was so proud of Jonathan’s heroic decision that she began using her place of business, a coffee shop, to spread awareness about organ and tissue donation. ![]() Her family especially loved the bracelets because green was Jonathan’s favorite color. As part of their bereavement care program, the Gift of Life Donor Program sent Sally a package filled with items to help cope with their loss - resources on grief, Donate Life pins, a certificate, and bracelets. Sally spoke with a compassionate staff member at the Gift of Life Donor Program, which facilitated Jonathan’s donation. She told the coroner that Jonathan was on the donor registry. I remember how he said to me, ‘Mom, I’m an organ donor just like you”. It was then that Sally remembered that both she and her Jonathan signed up as organ donors when he first got his license. Tragically, Jonathan died before Sally made it to the hospital. Jonathan and his friends went swimming at a quarry, and he was trapped underwater for over forty-five minutes. One day, Jonathan’s friend knocked frantically on their door to get her contact information for the hospital. She and her first-born son, Jonathan, were inseparable. Sally is the proud mother of four amazing children. “Tissue donation not only heals recipients”, said Ed, “it helps heal the donor family in more ways that I can begin to describe”. In honor of Dave’s life, his commitment to science and the improved lives of others, when the University of Scranton built a new Histology lab, it was dedicated to Dave D’Agostino. Ed not only takes pride in his brother’s donation, but appreciates that it gives him a chance to talk about his brother, and keep his memory alive. ![]() ![]() They stayed in touch with those who made his donation possible, and years later, his brother Ed went to work for MTF Biologics, a tissue donation organization. That knowledge was something his family takes pride in to this day. “As difficult as it was to lose my brother, watching my parents grieve was almost worst”, he said “however, I also saw the pride they took in knowing that the donation of his tissues was going to help others”. Dave was the first donor at what would become the Pennsylvania Regional Tissue Bank, later acquired by MTF.ĭecades later Dave’s brother Ed talks about the impact this decision had on his family. Knowing how much Dave believed in donation, his family unanimously agreed. The tissue bank was so new, the tissue itself was prepared at the lab of the Navy Tissue Bank. The dream of becoming a physician was cut short when Dave was killed in an accident, driving home from a local football game.īecause of some of the relationships he had made in school, his family was approached with the idea of Dave becoming a tissue donor – the first tissue donor in the State of Pennsylvania. He had married his high school sweetheart, had a beloved baby daughter and was working as a hospital orderly while applying for medical school. An intelligent, curious young man with a passion for science as well as music, Dave was on the path to become a physician. The idea hit the core of who he was, someone who was always looking to make life better for another. In the early 1980’s, a pre-med major at University of Scranton, Dave D’Agostino attended some lectures about tissue donation, the donation of bone, skin, tendons and ligaments after death. "You know all of the good things about your child, and this is their last good thing.” "Donation was our bright spot," said Kim. Kevin’s gift of tissue will be used in dozens of life-changing surgeries for years to come. Kevin’s heart, lungs, kidneys, liver and pancreas saved the lives of six people. Kevin had made the decision to be an organ and tissue donor when he applied for his driver’s license and his generous decision was supported by his family. Although Kevin’s accident was tragic, he answered the prayers of many people who were, at the same time, waiting for a second chance at life. Kevin was fatally injured in a skateboarding accident shortly before the beginning of his junior year. His drive and athleticism was showcased on the baseball field as a relief pitcher for the Post 22 American Legion team in Rapid City, South Dakota and the South Dakota State University team in Brookings, South Dakota. “It’s almost as if he knew his life was going to be short and he wanted to make the very most of his time here.” “He hit the ground running and never stopped,” explains Kim Morsching, Kevin’s mother. A risk-taker and thrill-seeker, Kevin Morsching wasn’t happy unless he was giving one hundred percent.
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