Michael Balsley-Rodriguez
Type of Donation: Organ donor
Age and Location: Age 13 – Stockton, CA
Donation Date: March 14, 2017
Sponsor: Honored by Sallop Insurance and the Zenith in partnership with Donor Network West
MICHAEL’S STORY
Michael was an energetic boy who loved dogs, video games, and pranks. He had a keen imagination and enjoyed dressing up in costumes pretending to be various characters when he was little. He was also an athlete; played youth football and dreamt of becoming a professional player and coach for the Oregon Ducks.
“He was very sweet, happy, and funny. He was my baby, my mama’s boy,” says Silvia Van Steyn, Michael’s mother.
Silvia had a special bond with her youngest son and shared many silly moments with him. “Michael would tell me that he was going to buy me a nice house when he became a coach but, when he was mad at me, he would say that he was going to put me in a nursing home,” recalls Silvia with a tearful laugh.
Michael’s sunset came too soon. He died in 2017 after an accidental, self-inflicted gunshot wound at only 13-years-old. He saved five individuals through the donation of his heart, lungs, liver, kidneys and pancreas.
Even in their grief, seeing how Michael has changed so many lives, gives his family great joy. “We were trying to make sense of it all and wanted to give meaning to his short life. That is why we wanted organ donation,” explains Silvia.
During the donation process, Michael’s family was asked if they knew anyone on the waitlist for an organ transplant. Silvia’s friend knew a person in need of a liver who ended up being a coach connected to the Lodi Titans football team, the same team that Michael played on. That transplant candidate was a match with Michael. A few months after receiving his liver, the recipient accepted Michael’s middle school diploma.
Today, that silly teenager and avid fan of the Oakland Raiders and San Francisco Giants, is remembered by his family and surrounding community as the young hero who gave hope to others in great need.