Thank you for registering so that we would have the opportunity to connect. We are Brock and Krystle. Our son Corbyn (Corby) passed away on October 18, 2013 at 411 days old (13.5 months). Corby has an older sister named Addyson who is 4. He now has welcomed another little brother, Ledgyr, to the family just one day before his first angel day and is now 5 months old. Corby was the light of our lives. He was always such a good baby and never would fuss or get upset. He would let anyone and everyone love him and cuddle him and wouldn't protest if they kissed him too much or hugged him a little too long or too tight. He learned at a very early age to give his mama kisses with his mouth wide open and pulling my face towards him. I could tell how much love he was trying to express when he did it. He was the most beautiful baby. People would stop us in the store to want to talk to him because he had this light about him. He was so service oriented even as a baby. He would do anything and everything for his "sissy". Addy told Brock one day while she was playing with Corby "Dadda, you're the king, mamma is the queen, I'm the princess, and Corby is my horse!" He served his family to the fullest, and now he has continued to serve and is serving you and your family. We miss him more than anyone could imagine, but we are so grateful that you are blessed with his valve to save your little man.
Brock & Krystle
These are the pictures that I sent with it:
They sent pictures along with the letter, but I won't post those for personal reasons. That was sent on April 8th. I have thought every single day what to write back to them. To tell them how grateful I am for them registering and helping me see my baby live on. As you can tell I'm not an eloquent writer by any means and I feel like I'm even worse trying to blubber to them. I would love more than anything to meet them and show them Corby's life, but I feel like it's too fast to flat out say "hey let's meet mmmmkay". It's like picking up someone for a blind date and introducing yourself with a big fat smacker on the lips!
These are the pictures that I sent with it:
There was so much more that I wanted to say to this family. So much to tell them about my son. I didn't want to overwhelm them. I heard from someone that the recipient's family goes through their own sort of grief and pain for the donor and their family so I knew that I didn't want to emotionally drain them with one letter. I sent it off and waited. A week later I received this letter back (the names have been changed for identity reasons):
First, thank you for your brave decision to elect tissue and organ donation following the loss of your son. Corbyn is beautiful, and I appreciated learning about your little ray of sunshine. Our little man’s name is Matthew. He was born with a critical congenital heart defect, and has faced many health challenges (like a champ, I might add). Matthew is our only child and our miracle baby, and we are grateful every day for him.
Second, one of your friends posted your blog post about Corbyn’s gift on the support group Intermountain Healing Hearts. I immediately wondered if we were the missing family. We had registered about a month after we brought Matthew home from the hospital without any response. We just assumed that the donor family was too immersed in grief to complete the optional registration, and we did not want to bother them. For the complicated heart surgery Matthew required, we had traveled from our home in Idaho to Utah, which might also explain some of the delay you unfortunately experienced. Please know that I’m glad you found us, and I hope it brings you some much deserved closure.
Thank you again for your decision. Matthew, and many other babies, depend on such generosity to have a chance to live. Please know that we intend to give Matthew a life filled with joy, for as long as we are blessed to have him with us.
Sincerely,
Susan, Dave and Matthew
