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In Your Prime January 09

Help Yourself

home : • news : news	July 31, 2010

4/19/2009 8:40:00 PM

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Organ donation: the ultimate gift

By RACHEL MORGAN

Staff Writer

Editor's note: this is the third and final installment in a series highlighting organ donation

month.

Austin Melvin was just like any other 17-year-old boy - a well-liked, popular athlete at Miami

Trace High School who had high hopes for the future.

Unfortunately, Austin's future was cut short.

But due to his unselfish decision to become an organ donor, Austin was able to make the

futures of countless recipients that much better.

Austin's dad, Don, clearly remembers the day Austin got his driver's license and decided to

become an organ donor.

"I remember when the lady asked him if he wanted to be an organ donor, in case anything

happened," Don said. "And he said yes, without even thinking about it."

Some might not think much of the small red heart emblem on their driver's license, the

indicator that this licensee has decided to be an organ donor. But to some, whose personal

tragedy causes them to come face-to-face with this decision, it is something that will be a part

of their daily lives and thoughts forever.

The Melvin family's lives changed forever in March 2006.

Austin had just turned 17.

"He was looking forward to his senior year," Don said. "He was diabetic, but in good shape."

Don remembers the night of the accident clearly, recalling small details only a parent would

remember.

"We had just finished up (working with) the lambs - Austin was helping me," Don said. The

Melvin family raised show lambs. "We had just got done feeding at my parents'. Austin was

going to go out with friends that night, somewhere in town. He was supposed to be home at 11

p.m."

At 11:10 p.m., Fayette County Sheriff's Deputy Butch Witherspoon drove to the Melvins.

Witherspoon's son Dirk and Austin were best friends growing up. They played baseball together

and the families were close friends.

"Butch told my wife later that coming to house was one of the hardest things he's ever had to

do," Don said. "(At the time) it really didn't make sense to me that anything was wrong."

Don learned later that Austin had already had the car accident, which occurred on Old

Springfield Road, just six miles from home.

"My wife, whose dad was a sheriff, knew what was going on when Butch came to the house,"

Don said. "Butch knew that she knew what was going on and I didn't. Butch said, 'It's not good.

He's at the hospital.' I said I would just drive to the hospital. When we were driving into town, I

remember thinking, (Butch) could have just called us. But he didn't."

When the Melvins arrived at the hospital, Don realized something was terribly wrong.

"When we got to the hospital, you could tell something wasn't right," he said. "The first person

that would even talk to us was the doctor. And he just said, 'He's gone.'"

Austin was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.

"It wasn't long after that I saw him," Don said, who found himself in the middle of every

parents' worst nightmare.

Due to the nature of the procedure, the organs need to be recovered from the deceased donor

right away. So in the immediate wake of their son's death, the Melvins had one more thing to

deal with.

"In this situation, they needed to know right now," Don said. "I said, 'Can't we do this

tomorrow?' On one hand, you think, no, leave it as it is. But on the other hand, if it's going to

help somebody. That was the hardest part, answering questions that night."

But Austin had already made this tough decision for his family.

"It makes it so much easier on the people who actually have to deal with it," Don said. "Knowing

that it's their wishes."

Bone grafts and soft tissue were recovered, to be donated to patients suffering from bone

cancer, congenital defects or severe trauma, to repair tendons or facial deformities or to be

donated to children with severe curvature of the spine.

Due to the way the procedure it done, it's hard to determine exactly where Austin's donation

ended up.

In hindsight, Don was glad Austin had already made this decision - it kept him from having to

make it himself.

Three years later, Don is finally able to talk about his son's death - and organ donation.

"It gives you a better feeling about it," he said. "He was young, in good shape. He was able to

help so many people. When the lady asked, he didn't even have to think about it. To him, organ

donation was something that yeah, you just do it and it's the right thing to do."

Don urges parents to talk to their children about becoming organ donors, before something

happens. He knows first hand how tough - and how healing - that decision can be.

"That's the only bright part of losing a child," he said, "Knowing that somebody else was helped

in our loss."

Giving unselfishly was something that was indicative of Austin's personality, Don said.

"He loved playing with little kids, especially his then 2-year-old brother Weston. Austin played

with Weston all the time. Austin was a very giving and caring person, even though he was a 17-

year-old football player and was supposed to be tough," Don said with a laugh.

Weston, now 5 years old, still remembers his big brother.

"It's amazing the things Weston picked up from Austin," Don said.

Austin seems to live on in other ways, as well. The Melvins have experienced several uncanny

occurrences that perhaps their son is still with them.

As previously noted, the Melvins raise and show lambs. At the 2006 Fayette County Fair,

Austin's long-time lamb-showing rival Katelyn Chester showed a lamb that the Melvins gave

her, one that Austin would have probably shown himself.

The lamb took first place.

The lamb was initially sold to Carroll Halliday for $5,000. But the bid was opened back up and

eventually raised $11,000. All the money was donated to the Austin Melvin Scholarship Fund.

Each year, scholarships are awarded to Miami Trace seniors for college in Austin's name.

Chester was awarded the scholarship in 2007.

"He didn't just donate through organs and tissue," Don said. "This is something else that has

helped us deal with it too."

Also at the fair, Don and his wife, Tabby, noticed for the first time their flock number - OH18.

Austin's football jersey number was 18.

"My wife didn't even know my flock number until we saw the tag on the lamb's ear," he said.

"One thing after another has happened. Things that are hard to explain."

This year's graduating class is the last class that was in school with Austin, Don remembers.

And though it may seem to the Melvins that everything has stood still in the wake of such an

immense tragedy, the time-old tale stands true - life goes on.

And Don seems to have found his sense of peace.

"As a parent, you don't want to think about something that could happen to your teenage

child," he said. "But any day on the road, something could happen. Parents lose children. It's

something that happens everyday. When it happens to you, you feel like you're the only one.

It's not something you would want to be on the other side of. But after the fact, and not being

able to change it, I'm glad he donated - it gave us a better feeling about how it ended."

Donations to the Austin Melvin scholarship fund can be taken to Miami Trace High School or

the Miami Trace Administrative building.

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