IN LOVING MEMORY OF JAIME R. ACEVEDO-LULE

Jaime was one of the funniest people you could meet. He usually had this smirk on his face as if he already had a joke and couldn't wait to share. But he could also be very quiet and pensive, sometimes it seemed as if he was a million miles away.  He was a devoted son, a beloved family member and a great friend to many...   he was also a lifesaver.  

Jaime was loved by so many but that didn't stop him from constantly fighting with his inner demons. Unfortunately his demons finally won. That night was the night that changed our lives forever. While we sat in our grief, a very important conversation was started. A conversation that would go on to save 4 lives and impact countless others. The conversation of organ donation. Although Jaime wasn't a registered donor, his mother Claudia was given the choice to make a life changing decision. As we were struggling with the loss of our loved one, other families were being given a second chance with theirs.  Through this selfless act of compassion, Jaime was able to donate 5 organs; his pancreas, kidney, liver, one lung and his beautiful heart. Aside from that, he was also able to provide 52 bone grafts, 7 ligaments and tendons, as well as 2 saphenous veins. His donations reached the lives of people all over the U.S., from California to New York and one very special donation stayed here in the very area that Jaime was born and raised, Chicago, Il.

For those of you who are not familiar with Gift of Hope, they are a not-for-profit organ procurement organization that coordinates organ and tissue donation and services to families of donors in the northern three-quarters of Illinois and northwest Indiana. A part of the donation process that Gift of Hope offers is the option for the recipient of the donation to write letters to the donor family and vice versa. This can be therapeutic, may provide closure and for most can be very difficult to read or write. One such letter reached Claudia, Jaime's mother, about 2 years after his passing and would be the start of a beautiful friendship. You see, that letter was from a man named Rudy and he was the recipient of Jaime's heart. Rudy had heart complications that had affected his life drastically, needing the assistance of two devices, an ICD implant and an LVAD in order to get by daily. He had been on the transplant list for three years before he received the call that would change his life forever.  

After receiving Rudy's letter, Claudia struggled with how and if she would respond. Understandably it was a bittersweet moment, knowing that someone had her son's heart beating within them. In the end she chose to reply and after a couple of letters and phone calls they decided to meet. Lo and behold, Rudy lived in the same area! They met at Lake Katherine in Palos Heights, IL., where Jaime has a bench dedicated to him right on the lakeshore and where his mother will often go and take a walk around the lake with Jaime's best canine friend, Mr. Blu. It was there that Rudy had presented a gift of his own to Claudia, a stethoscope, so that she could have the opportunity to hear Jaime's heart beat once more.

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