The Star Phoenix | Jeremy Warren
Jim Aune and his family turned a tragic death into hope for six strangers and he wants people to know they can do the same thing if they sign an organ donor card.
Aune's brother, T.J. Highfield, shot himself in the head with a .22 rifle last month on the Saskatchewan side of Flin Flon. Highfield was airlifted to Saskatoon, where doctors told Aune that his brother would not recover from brain injuries. After a quick conversation, the family decided to donate Highfield's organs.
"They basically told us his brain was not compatible with life. There was no chance of survival," said Aune in an interview this week. "Being able to see his organs donated and with the tough life he lived and the sad way he ended his life, at least there is a happy moment after all of this. There are six people who might have a more fulfilling, longer life."
On Jan. 23, medical staff flew in from outside the province to retrieve organs from Highfield, who was on life-support until he died that day. Highfield's kidneys, heart, liver, pancreas and lungs were removed and used in transplant surgeries on anonymous recipients.
Read more: http://www.thestarphoenix.com/health/Family+encourages+organ+donors+after+brother+tragic+death/6094723/story.html#ixzz1lNIVp3yp
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