2019 Dylan Stump

Name:                                     Dylan Stump

Type of Donation:             Organ, tissue and cornea donor

Age and Location:             Age 19 – Long Beach, CA

Donation Date:                   4/19/2017

Sponsor:                                Honored by OneLegacy

DYLAN’S STORY

Dylan was our first born and only son. From the time he was born, he had a sweet, gentle way about him and never cried. We joked about the fact that we did not know what we did to deserve him – he was always an angel to us. Dylan grew into a young man who had deep faith in God. He genuinely loved people and at 6’2” was a bit of a lurker. He loved to sing and from the time he was a little boy he was in church and school choirs, ensembles, and the Cal Baptist’s Men’s chorale where he was attending college. Dylan also loved to play volleyball, indoor and on the sand and played for 5 years.

At the age of 19, he was involved in an auto accident and declared brain dead 3 days later. This was not our first experience with organ donation/transplantation. My mother had two liver transplants back in 1983 and then in 1986 but died shortly after. We raised our kids knowing about their grandmother so when Dylan turned 16 he wanted to be a donor without question. Dylan’s heart, liver, lungs, and kidneys were all successfully transplanted. His eyes were given to surgeons for research and he had 213 tissue grafts successfully taken from his body.

Since Dylan’s passing, we have had the privilege of meeting his heart recipient and she is now a part of our family. We also received a letter from his liver recipient who we hopefully will get to meet one day.

Dylan had a huge heart and was known for his HUGS – for not only his family, but also pretty much anyone he encountered. To honor Dylan, we have declared his birthday, December 15, National #hugsfordylan Day. He knew how to love everyone and make them feel special, even acquaintances. This was because of his faith – his favorite Scripture in the Bible was 1 John 4:19 – We love because HE first loved us. Dylan lived this out.  I have been able to share Dylan’s story through my participation as a OneLegacy Ambassador and am proud that I now get to share him with the world through the Donate Life float.