Kent was a son, brother, twin, uncle, nephew, cousin, friend, and caregiver. Not only was he an amazing individual, he was everyone’s confidant. If you met him once or knew him your whole life you would see what a special individual he truly was. As our family would say, “he was the glue that held our family together”. On any given day no matter what the circumstance, Kent would be there for you. He had a certain charisma about him and everyone could feel his presence when entering a room. His smile alone was contagious and he was able to make people laugh with his positive and upbeat personality. He was a very giving, kind and compassionate person. Kent dedicated his adult life to individuals with special needs and devoted his life to one particular individual with Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy for the past 12 years.
Kent began working with Matthew when he was 19 and Matthew was 12. They were inseparable from that day forward. Matthew was never able to talk but Kent seemed to always know what he was saying. Kent was his voice. Kent treated Matthew as he was his own and took remarkable care of him. He was the child he never had.
Tragically, Kent was in a serious automobile accident that took his life on December 9th 2010. Kent had made a decision on his license to become an organ donor. Our family choose to honor his wishes with organ donation. Two weeks later we learned that Kent had successfully saved two women’s lives by donating his kidneys and liver.
I think of the Recipients everyday and it gives me comfort knowing Kent is still living on through my family, his friends, Matthew, and now his Recipients.