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Driving hope
08/15/2024100 Plus Evan
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“Evan [Bowling] wasn’t like every 15-year-old out there,” says his mother, Melinda Hershkowitz. He was unique, charismatic, a friend to many and a protector of his siblings.
Evan and another sister had birthdays just two weeks apart. In November 2023, a few weeks shy of Evan’s 16th birthday, they all looked forward to their family tradition of celebrating their birthdays together when he got sick.
Evan stayed up until midnight to wish his sister happy birthday, then went to bed like normal. He asked his mom, Melinda, to wake him in time to help with birthday decorations.
Melinda attempted to wake Evan the next day, more than once as parents of teens do, when she realized he was unconscious—lips blue. Sensing something terribly wrong, Riley rushed to Evan’s room where she and Melinda immediately began CPR.
“We did the most that we could do for him,” Melinda says. “We were able to get his heart beating again, but he never took another breath after that.”
Medics airlifted Evan to Banner Thunderbird Medical Center. As Melinda layby her son’s side at the hospital, nurses told her to expect a phone call. The phone rang. It was Donor Network of Arizona (DNA), and without hesitation, Melinda said “Yes,” when asked if Evan would have wanted to share life through donation.
“It just gave Evan’s life so much more meaning,” Riley says.
This path of generosity perhaps started a couple months before Evan’s passing. He noticed the donor heart on his mom’s driver’s license and asked her what it meant. After Melinda explained its purpose, Evan said, “I’m not going to be using it, Mom, so why not give life to somebody else?” Melinda and Riley decided to honor what they believed to be his decision.
“Why wouldn’t I?” Even at his young age, he knew and embraced the idea of helping others through donation.
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Evan saved six people through the gift of organ donation. He also offered healing to dozens more through tissue donation. Inspired by those gifts, Melinda and Riley started a fundraiser in honor of Evan called 100 Plus Evan to represent the lives he saved, healed and touched. They find comfort in knowing that he lives on in others.
“I just couldn’t imagine not giving them that beautiful gift, and because of [DNA], my world has been changed in so many different ways,” Melinda says.
YOU “DRIVE” REGISTRATIONS
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When Evan noticed the heart on his mother’s driver license, the insignia fulfilled its purpose—to spur conversations among friends and family members about saving and healing lives through organ and tissue donation.
Our partners at Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division and authorized third party offices ask the question every day when customers apply for a driver’s license or state ID. In fact, more than 95% of Arizonans currently registered as organ and tissue donors made their generous decision through an MVD transaction.
Saying thank you isn’t enough. Throughout August, Arizona recognizes the lifesaving efforts of our partners at ADOT MVD, and the nation continues to appreciate motor vehicle services partners into September. We fulfill our mission in partnership with you.
Your work truly SAVES LIVES!
The gift of two decades
Twenty years and counting. That’s how long Ramon Gallardo’s liver transplant has extended his life. Since then, he’s watched his children grow into adults and has been present for his grandchildren’s activities.
“There are no words to explain or to thank the family for giving me a new life,” Gallardo says. “It hasn’t been only 20 years, rather a new opportunity to live.”
His niece, Lizbeth Gallardo Apodaca, shares that in Spanish-speaking homes, “organ donation is not a topic of conversation, especially 20 years ago. It was not something that was discussed or even thought was needed.”
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But the generosity of Gallardo’s donor has turned that around for his family and anyone willing to listen to his story. Gallardo hasn’t had the chance to meet the family of his donor, but he learned shortly after he received his donation that his donor saved the lives of six people.
“How do you thank someone for such an offering?” Gallardo asks himself when trying to put words to his eternal gratitude.
WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?
You can register as an organ and tissue donor at an ADOT MVD or third-party office while applying for your driver’s license or state ID, but why wait? You can apply online too.
Register today at www.DonateLifeAZ.org.