Valentine’s Day 2000
It was going to be the most romantic date of my life with the love of my life. My husband of ten years, father of my two small daughters and co-owners of a 50 person interior design and architectural firm with a team we loved creating beautiful spaces for clients.
On the way home though, my amazing husband Chad died on Valentine’s Day because of a hit and run car crash. Four young men in a black mustang unaware they had merged into our lane clipping the front corner of our vehicle causing us to spin out of control hitting a light pole that toppled down and hit his head. It missed me completely.
I survived, but my life was shattered at that moment. Blood was splattered on my soft peach colored angora sweater and ruined. Everything was ruined in which I had worked towards building a beautiful life with someone who loved me immensely. The culprits who caused the crash were never found after they left the scene, even though I yelled out to them “Look at what you’ve done!”.
On that exact day, at the hospital, after determining he was brain dead, Chad donated his real heart to a matching organ donor, a gentleman who was near death named Greg from Virginia.
Two years later, I met Greg when he traveled to Orlando with his family after exchanging letters anonymously during that entire time. It’s rare that recipient and donor families meet in the world of organ donation, but it was important for all of us to help us heal. It was an emotional gathering to say the least. He was the same age as my Chad, 36, married for the same amount of time, 10 years, and had two small children the same age as ours, two and four.
Chad donated all the tissue and organs he could. We had discussed this years before as a couple. We always had important conversations to be prepared for the “what if’s”.
But one thing Chad needed was whole blood during the short hours after the crash as he struggled with the severe head trauma that ultimately took his life.
So, I’ve decided that from now on, I’m going to donate blood on his Angelversary Feb. 14 as a way to honor his legacy and remember his blessing of life.
Love Always In All Ways a new tradition is made.
Thank you for letting me share my Driving Down Heartache story.
Carolyn Moor
Founder of Modern Widows Club and Widow Advocate
