CHP Officer Kenyon Youngstrom, killed in the line of duty last week in Alamo, has given the gift of life through organ and tissue donation to four other individuals.
The results of that gift are that a 29-year-old mother from the Bay Area has received his left kidney and pancreas. The woman had been listed on the organ transplant waiting list for three years.
Officer Youngstrom’s other kidney was received by a 52-year-old woman from the Bay Area who has been waiting for a donor since 2002.
Receiving a lifesaving liver as the result of Officer Youngstrom was a 63-year-old Bay Area resident. No additional information is available about her.
A 50-year-old man, married with four children, received a new heart because of Officer Youngstrom’s wish. That recipient lives in Southern California.
During the surgery to recover Officer Youngstrom’s organs, operating room personnel and surgeons observed a moment of silence. A remembrance from his family was read in which they recalled a loving father and husband who "put God, his wife and his children first."
Shortly after that, the gifts of life from this 37-year-old "hero" were recovered for transplant. Out of respect for their privacy and their need to have their loved one's heal after receiving the gifts, no additional details will be provided about the recipients at this time.
According to the California Transplant Donor Network, about 40 percent of California drivers are registered organ donors and according to Borders, Youngstrom was one of those who had registered for organ donation.
