When Deken Strong was born, his mother, Jennifer knew he was destined to be special. Even his name was chosen to capture his spirit and uniqueness.
“He lit up the room everywhere he went,” she said. “He was captain of his soccer team, he was funny, and he would give anybody the shirt off his back. You could always depend on him. He would do anything for anyone.”
June 2022, Jennifer’s world changed forever. In the early morning hours, her oldest son, Cole who was always with his brother, called with devasting news. Deken had been in a car accident. The 22-year-old died at the scene.
In life, Deken had made a powerful decision: he was a registered organ, eye and tissue donor. Through his corneas and tissue, Deken helped heal and transform the lives of more than 130 people.
“When Deken was getting his driver’s license, I had spoken with him about it because I was a registered donor,” Jennifer said. “It didn’t even dawn on me until I received that call from Gift of Life. It just hit me then. He was gone, but I was so proud of him for following through on registering.”
In the following days, Jennifer searched for answers as to what happened at the scene. She came across a post on the local Facebook page. Among the reactions was a sad face emoji from Nikki, a local paramedic. Curious, Jennifer clicked on her name. “It was weird, but it wasn’t weird,” Nikki shared. “In the 24 years of being a paramedic, I had never been contacted by a family member before.”
Jennifer reached out thanked Nikki for being with her son in his final moments. The two began exchanging messages.
“After about a year we met in person,” Jennifer said. “We talked for hours.”
Prior to Deken’s death, Nikki had been impacted by the mental and emotional weight of her work as a paramedic. Deken’s accident intensified that struggle. After decades of bearing witness to people’s final moments, she made the decision to retire.
“Deken will always be a part of my story,” Nikki shared. “Any time I share my story with people, I tell them about him. He didn’t just save the lives of the people he donated to. He one hundred percent saved my life.”
Since Deken’s passing, Jennifer has sought new ways to honor Deken’s memory. She worked with Eversight, Gift of Life Michigan’s partner in cornea donation, to add his name on the Tree of Vision. She has participated in the annual LIFEWalk/Run on Belle Isle. Nikki joined this year as team member ‘25’ in honor of Deken’s 25th birthday.
Moving forward, Jennifer plans on painting rocks with Deken’s photo on them, sharing the message of donation, and hoping it might inspire someone else to register.
“In the tragedy of it all, he continues to help and heal,” Jennifer said. “It’s healed me, and it’s healed us together, for us to be friends.”
