Eva Young

Type of Donation:             Cornea donor

Location:                               Las Vegas, NV

Donation Date:                  April 17, 2017

Sponsor:                               Honored by LifeShare Transplant Donors Services of Oklahoma

EVA’S STORY

During a routine 19-week ultrasound, a doctor discovered that Royce and Keri Young’s daughter was growing, developing, and kicking – but without a significant portion of her brain – and wouldn’t survive long after delivery. The Youngs were told the baby had anencephaly, a condition that was ‘incompatible with life’.

Within a few minutes of hearing this news, the Youngs asked the doctors about organ donation. The doctor sent them home for 48 hours to decide what they were going to do. Their options were to terminate the pregnancy, or continue the pregnancy to term with the intent of donating the baby’s organs. The family decided to continue the pregnancy, and chose to name their daughter ‘Eva Grace’, which means giver of life.

Their original mission was simple: Get Eva to full-term, welcome her into this world, and let her give the gift of life to some other hurting family.

However, after a 4D ultrasound, the Young family became more excited for the life Eva would have, carrying on her legacy and celebrating the short time she had alive. They were thrilled thinking about the legacy their little girl would leave behind and another family Eva would help.

At 37 weeks, Keri went to the hospital after she was not feeling Eva’s usual movements. The doctors could not find a heartbeat. The Young family was devastated to learn baby Eva’s heart had stopped beating. They learned that because of that, their daughter would not be able to be an organ donor.

They continued with their birth plan and spent time together as a family, cherishing their last moments with Eva. A few minutes after she was delivered, their phone rang with news that Eva could donate her eyes.

The Young family was so excited to hear this news, and celebrated the grace that they had been given in that moment. It was a true moment of grace learning that Eva would be able to restore sight to others.

Eva’s story has made an incredible impact on the Young family. Although the Youngs miss Eva daily, they cannot deny the significance of her tiny life and her effect on the world.