Hunter was the kind of person who made everyone else around him better for knowing him. He was unafraid to be himself and to stand up for what was right at all times. He was a protective, gentle giant. He had autism and had to work hard to do things that most people take for granted, but he changed the way many people saw autism. When his dad passed away in 2015 and I had a horseback riding accident a few months later, he had to step up and become my helper. He never complained about it, though. He always did his best to help me, but he also worked selflessly to help everyone around him.
Hunter did not deserve what happened to him, and I never would have pictured myself allowing him to be a donor, but when they asked me about it, I could hear him in my head telling me it was the right thing to do. Having him be a donor is the one thing that has made sense in the midst of tragedy. It brings me comfort that there are pieces of him still in the world, helping others after his death, the same way he served others during his life. I know I did what he would have wanted, and that brings me peace. Now he and his daddy are together again, and I know we all be together again someday. Until then, I will try to follow his example and leave the world a better place than I found it.
I love you, Hunter, and I am proud to be your mother.
