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Colby's Story
This is the story of our Foundation's namesake. It is a story of profound loss; but, also of hope...and the healing journey of Colby's family.
On June 3, 1993, 14 month-old Colby, left unattended in the bathtub by a babysitter, slipped under the water and drowned. Despite heroic efforts by medical personnel, Colby died at the hospital. His parents were given time to say goodbye in the hospital room. Colby’s mom, Starla, remembers, “I knew what was going on, but I didn’t want to hear the words.”
Although John, Colby’s father, is a family practitioner he did not immediately think of organ donation during this time of grief. Fortunately a physician had the courage to ask the difficult question: “Would you donate your son’s organs?” Amid indescribable despair, their decision to donate gave the Cassanis a profound sense of hope and added new meaning to Colby’s brief life. It took John and Starla only minutes to agree to proceed with the donation.
Colby’s life was short but his legacy is far-reaching in the lives of those who received his organs. His kidneys were transplanted into a twenty-seven year old man. His liver was implanted in a two year old girl. And his heart was donated to a five month-old boy. All of the transplants were successful.
As some donor families do, the Cassanis reached out to the organ recipient families. They began by writing letters through their transplant coordinators to all the recipients. The family of Brayden, who received Colby’s heart, chose to write in response. On the first anniversary of Brayden’s heart transplant the families spoke for the first time. “Once we started talking, both families realized there was this phenomenal connection between us” Starla stated. When Brayden was three, the families arranged to meet for the first time. “As we got off the plane, Brayden ran into my arms, hugged me so tight and handed me a single white rose,” Starla says. The families have been able to get together numerous times and continue to enjoy a loving friendship. (Read Brayden's Story [4])
The Cassanis established the Colby Foundation in 1995 as a way to honor Colby’s memory and to inspire and educate others about organ and tissue donation.
continues to do all that she can [5] to raise awareness! [6]
A Macie update in our newsletter! [7]
[8]Jeffie's Story
After their beloved son Colby died, the Cassanis' decision to donate his organs saved the lives of three others. The Cassanis' story is one of hope experienced through donation. Others have experienced the life-saving gift of hope through receiving a donated organ. We are pleased to introduce you to Jeffie.
It is a beautiful autumn day, the kind that Jeffie enjoys most; where she can go out and see the changing leaves and the bright colors of fall. The fall of 1999 was not looking quite so bright due to the fact that Jeffie was in full kidney failure and spending much of her time connected to a kidney dialysis machine or trying to recover her strength just to do some day-to-day chores. However, her life changed drastically when she received a kidney transplant in May of 2000. “I have been doing really well ever since the transplant,” says Jeffie. “I wrote a letter of appreciation to the family, but I have never heard anything back from them. The donor was a four year old, so I am sure that the pain of their loss was terrible!”
Jeffie, now a vibrant 62 year old woman, enjoys writing poetry, taking long walks and looking at the leaves and the flowers. None of these things was possible when she was in kidney failure. She states that she has to take three anti-rejection medications but she does that gladly due to the sacrifice that the donor family made for her. “We just had a new grandchild born, and I would not have been around to see him enter this world if it were not for the donor family.” Jeffie’s daughter, Shermoin, is grateful for the donor family as well. “My daughter will graduate from high school this year and my mother is here to watch her walk across the stage. We are grateful to have her here and we appreciate the gift of life that the donor family was able to give to us.”