In 1982, Jane Jorgensen’s husband Tom was diagnosed with primary biliary cirrhosis, a rare liver disease. Following his 1989 liver transplant, Tom served on the board of directors of the Iowa Donor Network, and he and Jane helped to form the Recipient Support Network at Mary Greeley Medical Center. After Tom went into kidney failure, he received a kidney from living donor Suzanne Conrad, CEO of the Iowa Donor Network, in February 2005. When Tom died of liver failure on September 7, 2005, shortly before his 60th birthday, he passed on a gift as a cornea donor.

Jane's Story

Tom Jorgensen was a husband, father, teacher, colleague, buddy, and coach. He and Jane met when he was teaching at a junior high school in Beloit, Wis., where Jane was a student teacher. They married in 1967 and moved to Ames, where he served as a high school teacher and athletic coach until his retirement in 1998.

In 1982, Tom was diagnosed with primary biliary cirrhosis, a rare liver disease that took its toll over time. Following his 1989 liver transplant, Tom would tell people, “The miracle isn’t that I lived. The miracle is life itself.” According to Jane, Tom would weep tears of joy saying, “I’m just so happy to be here at this table with all of you. Life is a gift – and don’t you dare take one second of it for granted, because every last bit of it is a gift.”

Tom and Jane were determined that others have the opportunity to receive the gift as he had. Together, they educated the local community about organ donation and provided emotional support to those who were waiting for transplants. Tom served on the board of directors of the Iowa Donor Network (IDN) and was named IDN’s Outstanding Volunteer of the Year as well as Volunteer of the Year by the Mary Greeley Medical Center, where he and Jane helped to form the MGMC Auxilliary-sponsored Recipient Donor Network support group.

Sadly, Tom went into kidney failure and was on dialysis until he received a kidney from living donor Suzanne Conrad, CEO of the Iowa Donor Network, in February 2005. When Tom died of liver failure on September 7, 2005, shortly before his 68th birthday, he passed on a gift as a cornea donor.

Jane and their two daughters, Julie Schneider and Becky Eberhart, still mourn their loss. While she taught until her retirement, Jane, now 66, serves as a Creative Memories consultant, helping clients celebrate family memories and tell their unique stories in photo albums.

“I know what a tremendous gift organ donation is,” said Jane. “Not just for the recipient, but for the whole family and every person who knows him. Our family is blessed to have experienced the love and care of so many. We hope Tom’s story will have a positive influence on other’s lives.”