Son's organ donation helps mother cope with his death

By Casandra Andrews, Press-Register 

MOBILE, Ala. -- When Joshua Braswell began working as a nurse, he made sure his parents knew he wanted to be an organ donor. He had witnessed the struggles of terminally ill patients who’d run out of hope and miracles.

In June 2003, just a month after his college graduation, Braswell’s car crashed near Fowl River. Two days later, he was dead at age 23.

Reeling from grief, his parents, Clay and Karen Braswell, honored their son’s wishes. They learned later that their son’s vital organs had gone to five desperate transplant patients.

“We were so proud that his last act on Earth was to save lives,” Karen Braswell said.

Joshua Braswell spent much of his life serving others. On a church mission trip to Guiana in 1997, he gave his Bible to a man in need, family members said.

After earning his diploma at Faith Academy, Braswell became certified as an EMT before enrolling at theUniversity of Mobile.

He lived at home during college, his mother said, and studied hard. A copy of his grades — a perfect 4.0 — is pressed into a scrapbook that she keeps.

He took a full-time job at Mobile Infirmary as soon as he could.


Joshua's heart 'went to the right person'

As the Braswells struggled to cope with their son’s death, a letter arrived from the Alabama Organ Center, explaining how he had given new life to five men.

On June 27, 2003, a 34-year-old man received Braswell’s right kidney and pancreas. A 65-year-old man, suffering from end-stage renal disease, received his left kidney.

Braswell’s liver went to a 45-year-old man. Both his lungs were transplanted into a 29-year-old man who before the surgery lived on a respirator for much of his life.

And Joshua’s heart, his mother said, “went to the right person.” It was transplanted into the chest of a 51-year-old Birmingham man, who came to be close friends with the Braswells.

“Because of Josh, he was able to see his grandchildren born,” Karen Braswell said.

To show his gratitude, the heart recipient had small cards printed that featured a photo of Joshua Braswell, his memorial website and the words “Donate Life.” He passed the cards out to friends and strangers.

Getting to know the organ recipients has been comforting, Karen Braswell said, though it has taken years to work through the deepest levels of her grief.

She and her husband joined the local chapter of Compassionate Friends, a group offering support to families who have experienced the death of a child.

In 2006, Karen Braswell changed careers. Seeking a role where she could be around people of Joshua’s age, she found work at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine.

She serves there as an electives coordinator for third- and fourth-year medical students.

“Some of them have reached out to me in kindness to help me heal,” Karen Braswell said.

Among the photos on her desk is one of her and her other son, Joel, holding Joshua’s picture. Joshua’s stethoscope surrounds some of the frames.

As Mother’s Day approached, she said, some of her friends called to check in on her. Having others remember Joshua helps a lot, she said.

She treasures a letter sent to her by the 29-year-old man who received Joshua’s lungs. It’s written in large script on lined paper. Running her finger across it on a recent day, she read the last sentence aloud: “I thank Josh.”