Donna Johnson
Donor Hero
Gary was a father, son, husband and friend to many. He loved to research anything he could and was always curious about life and spirituality. He loved to talk, tell stories, and always believed anything was possible if you worked hard enough. He would tell many stories about what he overcame during his life and would always refer to himself as Superman. His two daughters both believed that and even after his passing, we all believe he really was. He was strong-minded but gentle at heart. He wanted to help the people he loved. He believed in forgiveness. His whole mindset changed when he had daughters. He wanted them to be able to achieve anything in this world and I am truly grateful they had the time with him that they did....even if it was too short. So much of who they are as people I attribute to him being the dad they needed.
As a husband, I got really lucky. He was my high school sweetheart and we had been together since we were 15. We were able to grow up together, become adults together and learn how to be parents together. We were the best team! When he suffered his first stroke, he worked so hard to get better and was doing so well. When the second stroke hit, we knew it was bad. In reality, it should have taken him right away but it didn't. Hence, the Superman image. In the end it wasn't the stroke that took his life but a ruptured artery in his stomach from the feeding tube. Even in his passing, the stroke was still in place and he could have had some recovery if not for the unfortunate bleed from the feeding tube. Science was something that was important to us as a couple and as a family. His stroke was rare and as a family we decided that donating whatever we could to Infinite Legacy could possibly help more people through research and donation.
Infinite Legacy was the best decision we could have made. They were there with us from the moment it happened, made the process very easy, and he became a Donor Hero through the people he could help. We were informed that he was able to help up to 62 people which is amazing. What a way to honor such an important life. I often share our story with friends and family because every year we get to honor his legacy. I feel like he can live on in our stories but also in the lives he helped even after death. It was a scary time for my family as he was so young, but we had no doubts about our donation. My daughters and I want to remember him always as our Superman, in life and in death.
