HOPE, N.J. – April is National Donate Life Month. WFMZ is very proud to team up with the Gift of Life organization and share stories about how organ donation has impacted lives in our community. For the first story in the series, we meet a grieving mom in Warren County, New Jersey that has found some solace in knowing her son’s tragic death saved others.
In Hope, New Jersey, surrounded by nature, Karen Stroud feels her son’s presence.
“When Luke passed away, we put the sign up and we spread Luke’s ashes it says ‘Luke’s Meadow,’ so every time we pull in, this is what you see,” said Stroud. “I always roll down my window and yell to Luke. Tell him I love him.”
In 2023, during his senior year of college, Luke Stroud passed away.
“We got to the hospital and they told us there was nothing they could do,” said Stroud. “Then, they asked us if we wanted to donate his organs? Without hesitation, we said yes.”
Luke loved the outdoors, hunting and fishing. Stroud said, “Luke was an old soul. He just, he was not put here for material things.”
He also loved his family. “Every time he’d hug me, he would say, ‘hugs for days Mom, hugs for days.’ I think he knew I would need those hugs someday,” said Stroud, dabbing tears from her eyes.
Through tremendous grief and sorrow comes some peace.
“He saved five separate lives. He is forever our hero for that,” said Stroud. Through organ donation Luke lives on. “He would be happy that other people are still alive because of him,” said Stroud. “That’s the kind of person he was.”
Stroud has heard from two of the recipients of Luke’s organs. “The heart recipient has two kids, so those two kids still have their father,” she said.
She hopes to one day hear Luke’s heartbeat. “What a lucky guy because Luke had a big heart,” said Stroud.
The man that received Luke’s kidneys and pancreas is a first responder. “Now he’s healthy again, so through him, Luke is helping save other people,” said Stroud.
Through Gift of Life, Karen believes Luke’s legacy is living on.
She shared with us a passage that’s special to her; that brings meaning to Luke’s death. “It says, most people are obsessed with building their own empire and they miss the whole point. The point isn’t in the remembrance; it’s to leave something behind that is worth remembering. Something that outlasts you. Something that keeps growing after you’re gone and that’s Gift of Life.”
You can learn more about the Gift of Life organization at https://www.donors1.org/. There, you can register to become a donor, there’s also information on their Donor Dash coming up on April 26th.