A Giving Person
The Donor’s Story

A diesel mechanic, 24-year-old Jeremy Mach loved electronic gadgets of all kinds. He even had a basket filled with remotes – for the television, the stereo, the DVD player and more. Mach, better known as “Jerm,” also enjoyed boating. But, some of his favorite memories were hunting deer and kicking around with his younger brother, Daniel, on the family farm.

The weekend before Thanksgiving 2000, Jeremy visited his parents, Donnie and Sharon, and his 4-year-old son, Matthew. He cut his stay short, and Sharon noticed that he just didn’t seem like himself. The next morning, after being unable to reach Jeremy by phone, Sharon drove to his apartment and found him unconscious. Jeremy had suffered a brain aneurysm.

Surgery relieved the pressure in his brain. However, complications soon developed, and Jeremy did not survive. Vicki Gilmore, a LifeGift coordinator, approached the grieving family to discuss organ donation. Following some soul-searching, Donnie, Sharon and Daniel agreed to donate Jeremy’s organs.

Thanks to their decision, six organs were recovered and transplanted. In total, the lives of five individuals were saved because of the generosity of the Mach family.

Staying Connected
The Recipients’ Stories

The friendships began with simple Christmas cards. After losing her son, Jeremy, to complications from a brain aneurysm weeks earlier, Sharon Mach sent holiday greetings to the recipients of his organs, including Molley Abshier, Roberto Barrientos and John Jackovich. She wanted to stay connected with Jeremy through these individuals.

Jakovich, 58, was the first to meet Mach. He never imagined he’d need a transplant until he was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. There is no cure for this disease; the sole treatment is a lung transplant. Jakovich received his transplant at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital Nov. 21, 2000. Mach and Jakovich now volunteer for LifeGift, often speaking to community groups together.

After attending one of their presentations, a friend realized that Molley Abshier was the recipient of Jeremy’s kidney and pancreas. Abshier, 47, had been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 13, which caused her kidneys to fail and made the transplant necessary. Her transplant also took place Nov. 21, 2000, at Memorial Hermann Hospital. Later, she too met Jeremy’s mother.

Yet another “reunion” awaited Sharon Mach. For many years, Roberto Barrientos had been an ill man with a single hope – a liver transplant. That hope became a reality in November 2000 at Memorial Hermann Hospital. Following more than a year of correspondence and with great emotion, Barrientos, 56, met Mach and thanked the woman whose decision saved his life.

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©2006 Texas Medical Center

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