The Adobe Flash Player is required to view this multimedia interactive. Get it here.

Couple urges parents to think about organ donation now

After Isaiah Jerome Jones died, his heart and abdominal organs were donated and saved the lives of two other children, inspiring others to become organ donors.

Submitted photo After Isaiah Jerome Jones died, his heart and abdominal organs were donated and saved the lives of two other children, inspiring others to become organ donors.

ENLARGE PHOTO

Local parents honored at Rose Bowl parade

Cracker Barrel manager accused of embezzling $2K
Updated 15 min. ago
Is your “unlimited” data being throttled?
2:32 p.m.
Kasich wants 100 gigabits per second state network, smarter smartphones
2:07 p.m.
Benefit dinner held for girl who died in car accident
2:00 p.m.
Wright-Patterson relatively unscathed in Obama defense budget
1:46 p.m.
> More headlines

By Kim Margolis, Staff Writer Updated 4:35 PM Thursday, December 31, 2009

CENTERVILLE — Isaiah Jerome Jones was supposed to have a long life, but instead he will have a legacy.

After 7-month-old Isaiah died and his donated organs saved the lives of two other children, his aunt signed up to be a donor. So did a cousin who just earned her driver’s license.

And there will be those touched by the image of the chubby-faced boy with the cowlick on the Donate Life Rose Bowl float. Tim and Leighann Jones hope others will be inspired to sign donor cards.

Tim and Leighann Jones want people to consider organ donation plans now, not during a crisis. Consider now what you would do if your spouse or even your 5-year-old child died, they say.

“I think it is important to talk about it,” Leighann said. “We never thought it would happen to us.”

And why would they? Isaiah was born on Jan. 14, 2009, weighing nine pounds and measuring 23 inches. He was in his new home by the next day.

At six months, he weighed a hearty 23 pounds, was starting to crawl and tussling with an extremely good-natured cat and dog.

Having a baby gave Leighann focus, she said, and she entered nursing school at Miami-Jacobs College.

“He was my reason for starting and he will be my reason for finishing,” Leighann said.

She is scheduled to graduate in 2010, but it’s particularly hard now as her classes are about childhood development. She’s learning about how children grow and how they die.

Her classmates and instructors know about Isaiah and ask questions much to her delight as her goal is to get people talking about the difficult topic.

Both she and Tim welcome the conversation. They want people to know the process of donating organs is handled very delicately and humanely by medical staff and groups like Life Connection of Ohio.

Once the Jones decided to donate Isaiah’s organs, they had a lot of questions and a lot of feelings to process. Staff helped them make their decisions as seamlessly as possible.

And now, months later they know that a 7-month-old girl who had been close to death is active with her extended family. They also know a 2-year-old boy can now eat solid food and enjoy his light-up toys thanks to the donation of Isaiah’s abdominal organs.

But the Jones’ want more. The theme of the Rose Bowl float that will hold their child’s image is New Life Rises. On the float, the mythical Phoenix, the symbol of life coming from death, will hold the images of lifesavers like Isaiah on its tail.

“New life rises out of Isaiah’s organs,” Tim said.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2216 or kmargolis@DaytonDailyNews.com.

Organ donation in Ohio

The current percentage of Ohioans signed up as organ, eye and tissue donors in the Ohio Registry is 51.9 percent.

Ohioans cycle through the BMV every four years and have the option to be a donor then, but they do not have to wait.

However, they can sign up as donors now at www.DonateLifeOhio.org. More information is also available at LIfeConnectionOfOhio.org or by calling (800) 535-9206.

Share this article