Tammy Mitchell's son Tommy Gailor gave the gift of life to 5 people after his untimely passing in 2003. A letter from a 16-year-old transplant recipient who received one of Tommy’s organs made her realize that donation was the right decision to make.

Tammy and Tommy's Story

On June 28, 2003, I thought I was going to be preparing for a graduation party. Instead I was in Albany Medical Center’s emergency room begging doctors to save the life of my son, Thomas M. Gailor, Jr.

On June 28th at approximately 9:30 pm, my son Tommy had a bad motorcycle accident. Still to this day it is unclear what happened. For three days we stayed by his bedside looking for signs of hope, believing with every little twitch he made that he was coming back to us. That was not the case for us.

June 30th was the day our world came crashing down. At 9:30 that evening, the doctors did Tommy’s last neurological test. With great sadness I have to say Tommy had no response. Doctors said Tommy had a severe brain stem injury and there was nothing else they could do for Tommy. Not knowing what way to turn and having no hope, we felt only pain and sadness. We were approached by two people from the Center for Donation & Transplant, asking us if we would consider donating Tommy’s organs. Never really having talked about it in our house, I was unsure as to what Tommy would want. Tom and his sister Brandy were very close. She was the one that helped us make the decision to donate his organs.

It was a short while after that we received a letter from the Center for Donation & Transplant as to which organs were donated and how the recipients were doing that received the transplants. Tommy was able to give the gift of life to five people. I was happy but still very sad, not only because I lost my son, but because I wondered if this is really what he would have wanted me to do. Then one day I received a thank you card from a 14-year-old girl thanking me for making the decision that saved her life. She had been sick for a long time with a liver disease. From that moment on I knew we made the right decision.

Every year we organize a memorial motorcycle run in memory of Tommy. This year will be our 4th annual Ride for Tommy. Proceeds from this event are donated to charities that involved our son either before or after that tragic night. Last year’s ride proceeds were donated to the Center for Donation & Transplant to help raise awareness that organs transplants really do save lives.

I cannot stress enough how important it is to let your family and friends know if you have decided to become an organ donor, or to go ahead and sign up to be a donor. If they ever have to decide for you, they will know your wishes.