From Ricky Joel Young's Mother
I am happy to share my story about my son, Ricky Young. He was my firstborn child so the two of us experienced many “firsts” together. Ricky loved life and lived it to the fullest. He enjoyed helping others and never missed an opportunity to do so. His hobbies included fishing, hunting, fast cars and working in the logging industry. On April 29, 2012, my son was in a horrific accident. He was air lifted to St. Vincent’s hospital in Little Rock Ar. When we got to the hospital, the Dr. met us and told us there was excessive fluid on the brain and there was no hope. Those are very hard words to accept from a doctor, in fact we asked for a second opinion but the prognosis was the same. I prayed and prayed for a miracle for my son but God had other plans. I did not know till that day that Ricky was an organ donor. They kept his heart beating even after he passed away so leaving the hospital watching his heart beat but knowing he was no longer alive was pure torture. It didn’t really phase me knowing he was an organ donor on the day, all I could think about was my son was gone. It took a couple of days for it to register that Ricky was giving the ultimate gift of life to others even with his death. You see, while I was praying for a miracle for my son, he was providing a miracle for others. It is a great comfort to me to realize that part of Ricky lives on in the life of others. I am so very proud of him. As I said, he loved helping others and that’s why he became an organ donor. I never realized how many people Ricky had helped until after his death. Many friends and loved ones shared stories with me about Ricky helping them in one form or another for months after his funeral. I have received letters from some of the recipients of Ricky’s organs and each of them are very thankful for his gift of life. It is a goal of mine to spread the word about organ donors because it is the ultimate gift of love for someone who deserves a second chance at a healthy life.
