Kim Morsching's 21-year-old son Kevin, a semi-pro baseball player with a lust for life, passed away after a skateboarding accident. Kim and Kevin Sr. knew that Kevin loved to help others. “Fulfilling Kevin’s wish to be an organ and tissue donor was the brightest spot in a horrible time,” said Kim. “It gives me great joy to know that others live because of Kevin’s organ donation."

Kim's Story

Kim Morsching feels that the tribute to her 21-year-old son, Kevin, by his former semi-pro baseball team, the Humboldt Crabs, best sums up her son:

“To say that Kevin loved baseball does not even begin to describe his approach to the game. Kevin’s appetite for baseball, indeed his appetite for life was simply ferocious. He died three weeks after the end of the 2007 season of severe brain injuries suffered in a skateboard accident, a victim of his incredible lust for living his life to the fullest, and his unfailing belief in his own phenomenal gifts as an athlete. When called to the mound to close down the opposition or to put out a fire, Kevin did not stroll to the rubber. He did not trot. He did not jog. He sprinted – full tilt – all the way. He was…well…ferocious.”

Kevin’s skateboard accident occurred in August 2007. Four days later, his brain began to swell, and the doctors and his family were out of options. “My brother, Kirk, and his wife, Karen, had been our biggest cheerleaders. They encouraged us to hope for the best and not worry about what hadn’t happened yet,” said Kim, 48.

Karen works for the Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation (MTF). “Although I never fully understood ‘what she did,’ here she was on the phone, helping me to understand what the doctors were saying and what the next steps would be to fulfill Kevin’s wishes to be a tissue and organ donor.”

Kim met many people from LifeSource, her local organ recovery agency, and MTF. “I continue to be struck by their beauty. I have watched them listen to heartrending stories of loss while tears slip down their cheeks,” she recalled. “They never let you lose sight of the impact your loved one has had on others. They have been as much a part of my learning to cope with Kevin’s loss as my counselor. Through events sponsored by LifeSource, I have met others who lost children. These families have become very close friends.

“Fulfilling Kevin’s wish to be an organ and tissue donor was the brightest spot in a horrible time. My family has received several letters from Kevin’s recipients. It gives me great joy to know that others live because of Kevin’s organ donation. He always enjoyed helping others and I know he is pleased he could make one last contribution to others. My brother, Kirk, said, ‘Kevin is a hero. He saved the lives of six people.’”