A Heart that Gives

On Saturday October 12, 2019 - my god brother JaShawn Scott was a passenger in a tragic multi-car accident that occurred around 10:30 PM in Columbus, Ohio. He was transported to Mt. Carmel East hospital, where he later passed from injuries that were sustained during the car accident. This fund was set up aiming to provide assistance with medical bills from JaShawn’s stay in the ICU, and while I understand many may feel the sought after assistance is the focus of this story, I’d like to instead shift perspectives and share the decision of one boy that would go on to become the miracle for individuals who never knew he existed.

At the age of 13, KeShaunta Scott, the mother of JaShawn moved him and his two siblings to a small suburban town named Gahanna, OH. JaShawn was a gifted athlete in multiple sports, which included: basketball, baseball, and football, but the beautiful thing about his life is that even with his athletic ability, the Gahanna community grew to define him by the size of his heart for others.

As his mother, family and friends sat in the ICU praying for the miracle of restoration and recovery, surgeons would go on to tell KeShaunta that the injuries to JaShawn’s brain in the car accident were too severe and would later pronounce JaShawn brain dead. However, the beautiful thing about this story, is that this is not where the story ends. Doctors would later go on to tell KeShaunta that her son had signed up to be an organ donor at the age of 13. Unbeknownst to anyone including his mother, JaShawn, the boy whose community defined him by his caring heart, was still caring for people even in his death. “My boo man’s life has purpose”, KeShaunta would go on to say after finding out JaShawn took it upon himself to become an organ donor.

I spoke with KeShaunta and she informed me that she was praying for 5 lives that could be potentially impacted by JaShawn’s decision. After a week of searching for donors across the nation, doctors later informed KeShaunta that they were able to identify 7 people who would benefit from receiving JaShawn’s organs. These were 7 individuals who were praying for a miracle much like JaShawn’s family was doing in the ICU that week. These are 7 individuals whose lives were changed by the heart of one young boy’s decision. These are 7 individuals who have felt first hand the impact of a young man whose heart was always focused on the well-being of others first and foremost.

In the Bible the number 7 marks completeness. God called JaShawn home on October 14th, 2019. The seven individuals who were impacted by this young man’s decision is confirmation that his story is now complete. While JaShawn is no longer with us on earth, we know he’s up in heaven looking down on those 7 people with a smile saying, “I got you”.

We’re asking for any donation, large or small to assist the Scott family in paying for the ICU costs from his hospital stay. If you are not an organ donor, we are also requesting you sign up today because you never know whose miracle you may be. Link: https://www.organdonor.gov/