John J Vargas

Type of Donation:       Cornea

Age and Location:      XXX

Donation Date:           January 12, 2000

Sponsor:                      OneLegacy

JOHN’S STORY

Joseph John Vargas (AKA John or Uncle John) was known to be a loving, caring person who worked hard his whole life for his family. John's mom was a Native American woman from the Kickapoo Tribe in Texas, and John's dad was a Hispanic gentleman. John was born in a small mining town in Texas. When John was in the 3rd grade, his family migrated from Texas and worked the fields of California and Oregon, and they later settled in Yakima, Washington.

One Day as a young man he met his wife on the Yakima Reservation in Washington. She was a registered Patawatomi Native. They were married and started their family, they had two boys, Joe and David. In 1961, they moved to Los Angeles, California, seeking a better life for their boys. John and his wife had their last child, a girl they named Jolene. John and his wife would take in kids who had no place to go. Everyone would call him Uncle John.

After John's son Joe was diagnosed with kidney failure, Joe received two kidney transplants. Days after Joe received his second kidney, John's daughter, Jolene was also diagnosed with kidney failure. Doctors discovered that their condition was hereditary. Since then, Jolene has had three kidney transplants. John thanked God that David was born with healthy kidneys.

In January 2000, John's daughter received a phone call and she learned that her father was going to the hospital. John was not doing well and he passed away shortly after on January 12, 2000, after suffering from pneumonia. John's daughter received a call from OneLegacy, informing her that he was a registered donor. She said, "please take what you can use, that was my dad's wish." John became a cornea donor and helped restore sight to two people. Unfortunately, John's son Joe passed away from cancer 5 years later. John's son David is strong and healthy, and he keeps an eye on his sister Jolene.

John's decision to become a cornea donor is not what is usually done in the Native American culture. After John's donation, he inspired his nieces and nephews to sign up to become registered organ, eye and tissue donors. John's daughter Jolene became a Onelegacy ambassador 10 years ago, and she volunteers her time to share her story and inspire local communities to say "YES" to organ, eye and tissue donation.