In the Greenbrier area of Chesapeake, a family’s journey underscores the profound impact of organ donation. Imagine relying on the death of another person to survive. For the Brown family, this stark reality became their lifeline.
Kelly Brown, a mother of four, recalls the moment they discovered their son, Matthew, had a serious heart defect while she was pregnant. “He was going to need multiple heart surgeries and possibly a heart transplant at some point,” she said. With three healthy children already, this diagnosis was unexpected.
After Matthew was born, he spent considerable time in the hospital, undergoing his first surgery at just three months old. “It’s hard watching him be in pain and go through all of that,” Kelly reflected. “I wish I could have gone through it for him.”…