Cassandra Contreras knew she wanted to be an organ donor before she was even old enough to drive, and told her grandmother so when they went to the Department of Motor Vehicles to get her learner’s permit, where she added her name to the Donate Life Texas Registry. That conversation proved more meaningful than either could have anticipated.
Two years later, Cassandra suffered a catastrophic head injury in a crash on Interstate 30. After every treatment option was exhausted, her mother was approached about the possibility of donation.
“I’m a registered donor myself,” said Emily Avila, who felt confident about her daughter’s wishes but less certain of Cassandra’s grandmother’s. “That was my only hesitation,” she recalled. Fortunately, Cassandra’s grandmother knew what her granddaughter wanted, thanks to their conversation two years before.
Cassandra donated her heart, lungs, liver and kidneys, saving the lives of five people. And that, her mother said, is her primary source of comfort. “That’s what gets me through, day by day,” she said.
Avila will be at JPS on Monday, April 9, to hoist the Donate Life Flag in a ceremony honoring donors and their families.