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Teen lives on through donation of his organs
Man and woman receive gift of life from 15-year-old who died in 'Sumo Wrestling' accident at camp.
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Friday, July 18, 2008
Curtis Geesaman, seen here with his father, Troy, died after a 'Sumo Wrestling' event Tuesday, July 15, at a Christian summer camp. On Thursday, his parents learned who received their son's organs. Family photoCEDARVILLE — The 15-year-old Warren County boy who died after an accident at a Christian summer camp Tuesday, July 15, saved two lives through organ donation.
"We struggled with it. It's hard because it's your boy," said Troy Geesaman. His son, Curtis, died after suffering a traumatic head injury while attending a LIFT Student Ministries camp at Cedarville University.
Geesaman of Hamilton Twp. was dressed in a padded sumo suit and wrestling with another teen in an inflatable ring when he dove and landed on his head. Geesaman collapsed shortly after taking the sumo suit off.
He was pronounced dead at 12:45 p.m. Wednesday at Children's Medical Center. The Montgomery County Coroner ruled the death from a blunt force injury to the head an accident.
Doctors kept Geesaman on life support for nearly a day after he was declared legally dead so an organ transplant team and recipients could be flown into Dayton, his father said.
"It gave us another day to say goodbye," he said.
The parents learned Thursday morning that Curtis' kidney was an exact match for a 53-year-old man and his intestines and other lower abdominal organs saved the life of a 45-year-old woman.
Troy said he and his wife, Kim, chose organ donation because Curtis always wanted to help others.
"It was really based on who Curtis was as a person," Troy said. "The whole point was Curtis' love of people. He wanted to bring joy to others."
Geesaman was one of 1,300 high schoolers from 48 area churches attending the weeklong camp. The youth ministry group, based in Kentucky, holds events for thousands each year and has rented facilities at Cedarville for the past eight years.
Oswald-Hoskins Furneral Home in Lebanon is handling arrangements for the family. Visitation is 9 a.m. Saturday, July 19, at Heritage Baptist Church in Lebanon with a funeral at 11 a.m. Burial will be in Texas.
A camp scholarship fund has been set up in Curtis' name at the church.
Contact the reporter at (937) 225-2342 or
cmagan@DaytonDailyNews.com
