Grace Lovegrove

Organ donor

Age 18 – Roanoke, VA

Donated on 1/12/2005

at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital

Honored by LifeNet Health

Grace Meredyth Lovegrove was a vibrant, quirky girl who dearly loved people, drawing, singing, and sports. She was a trusting soul who volunteered her time during church mission trips and as a youth camp counselor. Through her love of running, she found her niche in middle and high school. Teammates recalled how, as team captain, Grace pushed them hard on a hot training run—and then ended it at a snow cone stand where she treated everybody. After graduating from High School, she found a new home at Christopher Newport University, just missing the dean’s list her first semester. When Grace was just in middle school, she made a collage that included a “Recycle yourself. Be an organ & tissue donor” sticker. She let her family know she was serious about the sentiment. So when she went into cardiac arrest on a training run, and was declared brain dead shortly after, her parents already knew what Grace wanted. Her gift of life helped four people in Virginia who now have a second chance at life.

Grace’s Story

Grace Meredyth Lovegrove was a vibrant, quirky girl who dearly loved people, drawing, singing, her kitties, marine science, and Cheerwine soda. She was a trusting soul who gave of herself on summer church mission trips and as a youth camp counselor.

Through her love of running, she found her niche in the sometimes rough-and-tumble world of middle and high school. Grace might blaze by competitors on the cross-country course, but she was also just as likely to break them up with nervous banter at the starting line. Teammates recalled how, as team captain, Grace pushed them hard on a hot training run—and then ended it at a snow cone stand where she treated everybody.

She found a new home at Christopher Newport University, just missing the dean’s list her first semester while qualifying for the NCAA III cross country regionals. Her coach particularly liked her personality. “She just had a zest for and enjoyed life. We were blessed with Grace.”

When Grace was just in middle school, a collage she taped to her bedroom door included the bumper sticker, “Recycle yourself. Be an organ & tissue donor.” And she let her family know she was serious about the sentiment. So when she went into cardiac arrest on a training run on Jan. 10, 2005, and was declared brain dead just 18 years, 4 months, and 16 days after she arrived to enrich our lives, we already knew what Grace wanted.

Four Virginians received her kidneys, liver, and pancreas—the pancreas to a woman who later told LifeNet she hoped to finally have a baby. Two scholarships established by friends and family have helped send two dozen people to college.

Grace also wrote poetry, including one her family found in a high school notebook after her death.

“Death is but another part of life

And life is but for a second …

What will matter is what you left behind

The people you touched

The things you did

And what kind of legacy you left behind …

Live on after you die.”

And so she has.