Help Us Remember JD with a Celebration of Life

On December 7th, 2024, the phone rang around 3 a.m. On the other line, we would receive news that would forever change our family's life. Our beloved JD had been in an auto accident. He was driving home and his tire blew, causing him to lose control of the car. He hit a cement pillar and was thrown about 52 feet from the car.

His father and grandmother rushed to Holmes Regional Medical Center. I stayed home with the 3 kids. He was in the trauma unit. He had flatlined, and they were able to bring him back. He was taken by life flight. It was extremely serious. Was this really happening to us?

His father called me once there; he sent me a photo of JD and a CAT scan the doctors had done. I actually got sick when I saw them. He looked really bad. He was on a ventilator because after about 10 minutes of bringing him back, he stopped breathing on his own. He had a very strong heart, but as I saw on the CAT scan, his whole brain was just black.

The doctors told us he had experienced what they call, "instant brain death." We wanted to know if he had a chance. The doctors ran a handful of tests, trying to determine if there was any life left. Unfortunately, JD was gone.

JD had just turned 28 in November. He had his father Jonathan, myself Amanda, Grandma Earlene, Loki his 5-year-old brother, Rudy his 14-year-old brother, and was an uncle to Zane 16 and Jayden 15. We had just lost a piece to our puzzle. The pain we all feel is overwhelming.

JD was an awesome guy. He would do anything for anyone. He was an amazing big brother and uncle. He loved his dad very much, and their relationship was beginning to grow. He cared deeply for his grandmother and would do anything for her. And he was like a stepson to me. He was the friend you wanted to have, and if you needed him, he was there, no matter what. JD was just an all-around great guy who was beginning his life and figuring out his path.

This loss has really devastated our family, and to happen during the holidays has made it even more difficult. The only beauty in all this pain is that we were able to donate his heart, lungs, kidneys, pancreas, skin, and tendons to people who were waiting for that call of life. Organs went as far as California as well as to New York. He went to the Heroes Unit in Orlando and was able to give life. We felt that him passing was not the end of his story. And with as giving as JD was, he would have wanted this.

We would love to have a celebration of life for him. Things are a little rough for us at the moment with dealing with our loss and trying to still make it a nice Christmas for the kids. You're never ready for something like this, so we are doing our best one day at a time.

Any help I can get in order to honor our beloved JD would really help. I want to make sure that all the people who loved JD have a chance to say goodbye.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and thank you from the bottom of my heart for any donation you may make.

Thank you,

Amanda