Posthumous hero

Posted by Alysa Landry | Dec 15, 2016 | News |

Diné organ donor saves 5 lives, gives sight to 2

FARMINGTON

Special to the Times | Ray Landry
The family of Jasper Yazzie displays the finished floragraph of Yazzie’s face. Pictured, from left, are daughters Takota, Franky and Jade, and wife, Tenaj.

On the last day of his life, 35-year-old Jasper Yazzie wasn’t carrying identification.

In early September 2014, Yazzie was hit by a car and rushed to San Juan Regional Medical Center, where doctors tried to save his life. Meanwhile, Intensive Care Unit nurses partnered with the New Mexico State Police to identify the man and locate his family.

“The nurses were worried that there was a family out there that didn’t know,” said Dave Comfort, clinical services manager for New Mexico Donor Services. “When the state police said they might have a name, the nurses went on Facebook to find the family.”

Yazzie died Sept. 10, 2014, but hundreds of people now know his name. An organ donor, Yazzie saved the lives of five people and gave sight to another two, Comfort said during a ceremony Dec. 7 at San Juan Regional Medical Center.

Yazzie’s major organs – heart, liver, lungs, and kidneys – saved the lives of five individuals, including a close relative. His corneas went to two more people.

“Jasper Yazzie is forever a hero to these people and to the community,” Comfort said during the ceremony, which was held to recognize Yazzie and prepare a floragraph of the man’s face that will be part of a special float honoring organ donors in the Rose Parade, in Pasadena, California, on Jan. 2.

The floragraph, made from organic materials like coffee grounds and sesame seeds, is one of 60 to decorate the float, commemorating the 8,000 people who donate organs every year. Twenty-four organ recipients will pull the float, styled after a Polynesian catamaran and themed “Teammates in Life.”