Jennifer Grant’s life suddenly changed in May 2004 when her husband of only eight months, Steven, experienced a severe motorcycle accident in Austin. He was only 27. Although she and Steven had spoken briefly about their end-of-life wishes, Jennifer says “being so young, you just don’t think about it.”
Jennifer met with a Tissue Center Consent Coordinator at the hospital and said of the coordinator, “She was really helpful for me at that time.” Jennifer decided that in this tragedy there might be a silver lining – Steven could help others. In experiencing the loss of her own husband, she says, “I just think it is very special to help someone who might be losing their loved one. You know someone else is doing better because of it.”
When asked if she will be a tissue donor, Jennifer quickly answers, “Absolutely. Everyone in the family has shared their wishes with each other.” Jennifer hopes others will make their wishes about tissue donation known to family and friends
