Dr. Howard Smith was a respected anesthesiologist who emphasized palliative care and pain management. His wife, Joan, an ER nurse, said that Howard "dedicated his professional life to taking the pain out of his patient's lives." His personal life, however, was dedicated to Joan and their four children and the countless friends who were infected by his contagious laugh. He died suddenly at age 56 after suffering a heart attack. In donating his kidney and corneas, Joan reflected that "we take comfort in knowing he was able to give others a second chance in life. It was something he always strove to do."

Howard's Story

Howard Smith was born in 1956 and grew up in East Meadow, N.Y. He met his future wife Joan in Albany, where she was an emergency room nurse and he was an internal medicine resident. Howard went on to complete residencies in anesthesia and nuclear medicine. From early on, he was very interested in palliative care and pain management. Joan described her husband as having "dedicated his professional life to taking the pain out of his patients' lives."

Howard's personal life was dedicated to Joan, their four children, and countless friends who hung on his every word and were infected with his contagious laugh. The simple moments in life brought out a magical sparkle in his eyes that made people love him.

It was a tragic day when Howard suffered a fatal heart attack at age 56 on April 30, 2013. The experiences of two friends who needed transplants laid the groundwork for the family's decision to consider organ donation.

"Our family hopes that his corneas will allow someone else to see the world as he did – with kindness, compassion and humor – and his kidney was given in honor of our friend Peggy," Joan stated. "By being able to donate Howie's organs after our family was dealt a horrible loss, we take comfort in knowing he was able to give others a second chance in life. It was something he always strove to do."

Dr. Howard Smith gave to others – family, friends, colleagues and patients – his entire life. Joan said that Howard's donations of a kidney and corneas were "like the final gift."

"It comforts us to know that somewhere, another person has the same kind, caring eyes," she reinforced. "We hope that they are able to inspire others through their new eyes to be the same happy-go-lucky guy that he was, and that his legacy is able to live on through them.