Methodist in the Media

Methodist Hospital Critical Care Nurse Helps Family Honor Man's Wishes of Being an Organ Donor

Published: May 9, 2022

As the Landas family prepared for the final chapter of Gary Landas' life, it turned out the goodbyes would have to wait.

Gary never told his family, but he was an organ donor.

"He was a little on the fence whether he would be comfortable with that," said his wife, Cathy. "And then we didn’t talk about it. Then one day we were told, he was an organ donor."

Cathy wasn’t sure if she could bear being by her husband’s side for the 24 hours needed to find a match, all while a ventilator kept him alive.

“If he could rest, I could handle it,” she said.

Jessica White, a critical care nurse, volunteered.

“I trusted her, and when she told me she could keep him comfortable, I believed her,” Cathy said. “I knew if he could be comfortable, I could get through it too.”

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