By Deborah Kitts - Donor Mother
The most difficult journey we had ever faced started on June 1, 2000. As school had ended we planned a short family getaway to a rented cabin on the lake. The trip would have to be short because Dustin was to leave on June 5 for a church youth rally.
At 3:00 pm, on Chapman Highway, our lives would change in an instant. We will never know what caused Dustin's car to veer into oncoming traffic. One witness said a green van caused Dustin's car to swerve, but that was never confirmed. Thankfully, the other two people in the accident were not seriously injured. LifeStar took Dustin to UT hospital; where we were told he had a severe brain injury. We were given very little hope that he would live.
Many, many people came to the hospital to pray and offer comfort. The nurses in the ICU were like angels to us. They would let us stay in the ICU at night if the unit was fairly quiet. This was important to us because, as we were given less and less hope that Dustin would live, it became important to us to sing Dustin into heaven. Late one night, as I was singing to Dustin, one of the male nurses asked if he could sing to us. With only the lights of the artificial support machines around us, we heard "The Lords Prayer" sung by this precious person. God is Good.
Dustin's nurse ministered to us in a very special way. She had lost her brother when he was 17 and she had such compassion for us. She treated Dustin in such a gentle and loving way it reminded us that God is Good.
On the last night that Dustin was alive, he had several episodes when the pressure in his brain was so great that it caused the brain to herniate into the spinal area. Because of my medical background, I knew that this was serious. The rest of the family was not able to comprehend the gravity of the situation. I rephrased what the nurse had just told the family and said, "in other words, Dustin took a giant step backwards last night," but the nurse replied, "or a giant step forward...into heaven." Dustin died June 4, 2000. But God was still Good.
Later that day, a coordinator from Tennessee Donor Services talked to our family regarding our options for organ donation. Our daughter Whitney and Dustin had just recently discussed the topic of organ donation and we knew what Dustin would want us to do. There was such a peace and comfort in the decision. We were again reminded that God is Good.
Family and friends from all around gathered for the receiving of friends. We all cried and laughed as we remembered all the good times. Dustin's funeral was a celebration of his 17 years on this earth. We thanked God for the precious gift he had given us in Dustin. We thanked God for the assurance that we would see Dustin again. In the depths of our grief we still knew that God is Good.
Dustin Lives On
A short time later we learned that Dustin's pancreas and kidneys went to a gentleman from Nashville. He had been a diabetic since he was 13 and had been on dialysis for the past 3 years. Since the transplant, he is no longer a diabetic and does not need dialysis to live. We were blessed to be able to meet both him and his family and have become very close friends.
Since Dustin's death, God has ministered to us through people and circumstances time and time again. We do not profess to know God's entire plan. We do know that events and people placed in our lives have brought peace and comfort. It may have been a card with just the right message; a visit when we were lonely; or finding a portion of Dustin's Bible highlighted with just the words of encouragement we needed. All of these things reminded us God is just so Good. |
DUSTIN'S STORY