Healing after the Sudden loss of Stephen Howard

Last week we received devastating news: While at someone’s house, our loving partner, father, brother, and son, Stephen, stopped breathing. He was taken to St. David’s but the doctors told us that he had been without oxygen for too long. They performed exhaustive tests to see if there was any brain activity at all, and when six tests all came to the same conclusion, we were faced with several emotional decisions.

Some were easy to answer:

Would we be willing to allow Stephen to give others a second chance at life by donating his organs? Absolutely.

And some were impossible:

Were we ready to say goodbye and let his physical body go, knowing his soul was already with our Heavenly Father?

After answering yes to both of those questions, what we weren’t prepared for was how long it would take to figure out all of the logistics involved in organ donation. Testing the viability of his organs, finding recipients, getting planes ready to transport - helping Stephen live on through the greatest gift of organ donation (we know for sure they were able to find matches for his heart, liver, and one lung) meant that we were by his side in the hospital for almost a week after we knew he had left us.

Your support will help Stephen’s family (daughter, Haylee, and partner, Mistyn) with final expenses for Stephen, as well as catching up on bills that have piled up from nearly two weeks of lost wages for Mistyn to be by Stephen’s side. The cost of gas alone driving back and forth from Marble Falls to North Austin to Georgetown has been exorbitant.

Your support will also give Stephen’s family space to breathe and grieve without forcing them to immediately go back to business as usual just to survive. The reality of the situation is that Stephen was only 34 years old. Like so many young people, he hadn’t considered that something like life insurance might be needed at such a young age. Because of that, there is no financial safety net for his family.

In the midst of this tragedy, the everyday demands of life don’t pause to allow us to catch up: In the coming weeks Haylee will need things like school supplies, clothes, and shoes. Due to a hike in rent Mistyn and Haylee will have to move house. There are final expenses for Stephen, and a desire to honor his life and his gift with a headstone and small memorial service. Your generosity will help so much and be so appreciated.

We know times are tough for everyone right now, so if you are unable to donate, we ask you to take a moment to share this fundraiser, and say a prayer for Stephen and the beautiful family he leaves behind, as well as the recipients of his organ donations. Thank you for your love, support, and prayers.