Timmy's Gift

Eva's Story

This story was contributed by Eva from Florida, who lost her 18-year-old son to a motorcycle accident in the summer of 2002. Eva has had a number of ongoing communications with her son since the night of his passing. As you are about to read, Eva has heard her son's voice clearly and she has also seen him shortly after the fatal accident when he came to her to say goodbye. Eva's story is given below in its entirety and in her own words. Thank you, Eva, for sharing this tragic yet inspiring and heartfelt story with all of us.

June 29, 2002, we had dinner at home, all in the family; my husband, my oldest son, his wife and children, and my baby. This baby was 18 years old; he was my best friend. We use to have fun together, have those long conversations about life and girls. He always listened and when he got bored he just said, “Ok Mom, time for me to go, well keep talking later”, gave me that beautiful smile, a big hug and a kiss and always said at the end, I love you Mom”.

That night, after dinner we were watching TV and he told me that he was leaving to meet with some friends. He was getting ready to leave for his Navy Training by July 24 so he was getting together with everybody to say Good Bye. I walked out with him as usual to give him all the bless; he was in the car and suddenly he came back, gave me a hug, a kiss and told me “I love you Mom”, got back in the car and left making sounds with the horn and waiving through the car window.

Around 2:00 in the morning a police officer came to my house. He was asking for somebody to go the emergency room to identify a young man who was injured in a motorcycle accident and since he had two ID’s on him, they couldn’t know who he was. My oldest son and him were together during the day and left his drivers license on my baby’s car so that’s why he had two ID’s on him.

On my way to the hospital I was asking myself what was happened since he didn’t know how to ride a motorcycle, I thought the accident was with his car or something, I couldn’t think clear enough, my concern was him. When I got into the emergency room, a nurse showed up with a wheelchair and a doctor. They told me that the person inside was very injured and that they need us to identify him so they will be able to transfer him to the Intensive Care Unit. When I saw him in there a millions of feelings went on through my mind. My heart started beating very fast and I just gave him a kiss, my face was full of tears and I just told him “Mom is here with you, my son, I will take care of you”.

I don’t know how to explain the pain, the suffering, I asked for me to be the one in there and not my son, my baby. I felt that my heart was getting out of my body, I cried and cried; I couldn’t understand what happened. They asked us to wait in a small room until they do the transfer and that we will be able to be there with him all the time to wait until the doctor will explain the situation. The doctor came and told us that my baby was brain death, that there was nothing they can do for him, that he died at the accident scene, that there was only two options; to remove the machines from him or donate his organs. I didn’t know what to do, I was confused, I didn’t understand but somehow I started to feel some calm, a voice was whispering “Mom, I’m fine, don’t cry, donate my organs and safe somebody else’s life, I’ll be with you always, don’t cry, I’m here, close to you”. My son’s voice gave me the strength I needed and I did donate his organs. They took him to the surgery room, and when that door closed I got out of control and started to cry and calling his name and then his voice came back, “Mom don’t cry, please don’t cry, I’ll be with you forever”.

Now I understand that he gave me the strength to deal with the situation and that only him and I know what really happened in there. A couple of days after, he showed up in my bedroom. He opened the door and stand still for a couple of seconds, and when I noticed him, he just gave me his most beautiful smile, closed the door and left. It’ll be two years soon and I still missing him, still missing his hugs, his kisses, those calls from school just to say “I love you Mom”, a red rose for Mother’s Day, our long conversations, his jokes and his smile. I also still have questions regarding the accident, which I still don’t know exactly what happened that night, and I hope that someday, somehow I will have all the answers. Meanwhile, I have all the memories of 18 years with a beautiful human being which I had the blessing of been his mother.

I won’t get over, as some people told me, he will be with me always, he’s my baby, he was my life and even that is not the same, someday we’ll be together again and I will keep on looking for those answers until my time to cross over comes and he will be there to take my hand.