| Through organ donations, teenager 'gave life to so many'
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A UMNS photo courtesy of Betty Chaffin
The Rev. John Hastings (right) poses with Andru Chaffin's best friend, Rudy Montemayor, on graduation day.
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| Retired
United Methodist minister, the Rev. John Hastings (right) poses with
Rudy Montemayor, best friend of Andru Chaffin. Chaffin died nine years
ago in a four-wheeler accident, and his family donated his organs.
Hastings, 71, suffered from congestive heart failure prior to 1997 and
now has a new lease on life after receiving Chaffin's heart. This summer
he was the winner of gold and silver medals from the 2006 U.S.
Transplant Games in Louisville, Ky. United Methodist will observe Organ
and Tissue Donor Sunday on Nov. 12. A UMNS photo courtesy of Betty
Chaffin. Photo #06-1295. Accompanies UMNS story #662. 11/8/06 |
Nov. 8 , 2006
By Susan Passi-Klaus*
Whenever Betty Chaffin sees the Rev. John Hastings, she asks if she
can put her ear on his chest and listen to the sound of his heart.
The strong lub-dub, lub-dub indicates that the 71-year-old Hastings
is alive and very well. It's also a reminder that Chaffin's late
grandson, Andru Chaffin, lives on with every beat of Hastings'
transplanted heart.
"It just makes me feel good to know that Andru's heart is still
beating and living and that his whole body gave life and hope to so many
other people," said Chaffin who lives in Sublette, Kan. "When Andru
died we donated his heart, his lungs, liver, pancreas and his eyes."
The 15-year-old died in 1997 after an accident on his four-wheeler.
His family agrees that Hastings, father of four and grandpa to 10, is
the perfect steward of the teenager's heart.
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Andru Chaffin |
"The year Andru would have graduated from high school, John called and
said that even though Andru wouldn't be there, his heart would be,"
Chaffin said. "He came to graduation, and so many of Andru's friends
wanted their picture taken with him."
'I'm blessed'
Hastings doesn't fit any stereotypes of a retiree in his 70s.
He's a feisty, straight-talking, pokin' fun kind of a guy. He's the
kind of grandparent who serves up ice cream for breakfast and the kind
of preacher who begins every sermon at the Elmdale and Strong City
United Methodist churches in Kansas with a good joke or tattled tale.
"I wake up looking forward to every day," Hastings said. "People say
to me, 'You're the luckiest guy I've ever met,' and I say, 'I'm not
lucky, I'm blessed.'"
Prior to being diagnosed with congestive heart failure in 1997,
Hastings was an avid snow skier, a fast walker and a man who'd run up
the steps in hospitals when visiting patients.
He's a man on the go again -- especially when it comes to running the
200-meter dash and the 1,500-meter race walk. This past summer, he
brought home gold and silver medals from the 2006 U.S. Transplant Games
in Louisville, Ky.
Hastings often speaks to groups and at health fairs, talking tough about the importance of organ donation.
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A UMNS photo courtesy of the Rev. John Hastings
The Rev. John Hastings wears the silver and gold medals won at the 2006 Transplant Games in Louisville, Ky.
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| The
Rev. John Hastings, a retired United Methodist minister, wears the
silver and gold medals won at the 2006 Transplant Games in Louisville,
Ky. After being diagnosed with congestive heart failure, Hastings, 71,
received the heart of Andru Chaffin. The teenager died at the age of 15
in a four-wheeler accident. United Methodist will observe Organ and
Tissue Donor Sunday on Nov. 12. A UMNS photo courtesy of the Rev. John
Hastings. Photo #06-1296. Accompanies UMNS story #662. 11/8/06 |
"Seventeen people a day in America die from the lack of an organ," he said. "Chances are they could live if they had one."
When talking to reluctant donors, Hastings sometimes uses "shock tactics."
"I've said to people, 'Why don't you sign your donor card?' and they
say, 'No, I don't want to give up any of my organs.' And then I say, 'If
one of your family members was dying, wouldn't you let them have an
organ transplant?' 'Oh yeah,' they say."
"'If everybody has that attitude,' I said, 'where would the organ come from? It's OK for others to donate, but not OK for you?'"
Special Sunday
On Sunday, Nov. 12, United Methodists will observe Organ and Tissue
Donor Sunday. Timed to emphasize gratitude and thanksgiving for life,
many churches will pass out pamphlets or supply members with organ donor
cards. Some people will hear firsthand how organ and tissue transplants
both save lives and honor the lives of the donors.
"Just imagine," Hastings said, "being able to give someone the gift of life. Wouldn't that be something?"
*Passi-Klaus of Nashville, Tenn., is a freelance writer and publisher of Cracked Pots, an inspirational newsletter for women. This article originally appeared in Interpreter, a publication of United Methodist Communications and the official ministry magazine of the United Methodist Church, www.interpretermagazine.org.
News media contact: Fran Coode Walsh or Kathy Noble, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
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