Donation Through Disaster

Days before Hurricane Helene struck, a 20-year-old man was seriously injured in a motorcycle accident in Asheville. His name was Nathan Button. Doctors did everything they could but weren’t able to save his life. When Nathan’s family learned this news, they asked about donating his organs. Organ donation is already a complex process with a lot of moving parts. When you add in a natural disaster, the process becomes even more challenging.

“The LifeShare Carolinas team consistently makes donation happen through countless circumstances and logistical challenges,” said Brianna Bleymaier, director of support operations. “This case was no exception. The choice of Nathan’s family to give selflessly in their darkest hour is worthy of our best efforts.”

Despite the devastation the community was facing from Helene, Nathan’s family was still able to think of others during their own loss. “This was a family that advocated for donation,” said Brianna. “They were bought into something bigger than themselves and were passionate about him having that type of legacy.”

Overcoming Challenges

The hurricane left Mission Hospital operating with limited resources and a busy, exhausted staff. Not only that, but the city’s infrastructure was compromised. The airport was closed and there was limited running water.

Despite all this, Mission Hospital was dedicated to helping all their patients. They were especially passionate about Nathan’s donation, knowing that more lives could be saved if they could make it happen. Brianna stressed how this donation wouldn’t have happened without them. "The staff at Mission was all in. In a time when everything around them was chaotic, this was a bright spot in an otherwise dark time.”

The aftermath of the hurricane made it impossible to follow the usual steps for donation. Even though operating rooms at Mission were available, LifeShare couldn’t fly in our specialized teams and recovery surgeons. The only option was to get our donor hero to LifeShare’s Donor Care Center in Charlotte. But that had its own challenges.

The airport was shut down and roads were washed away. But we could land a helicopter at the hospital. And we knew exactly who could make that happen. Our donation partners at MedCenter Air were able to arrange a helicopter flight crew to bring our hero to Charlotte. The flight team went above and beyond. The pilot circled the hospital several times so Nathan’s family could see him leave and take pictures and video to capture the moment.

The Power of Teamwork

A case like this requires extensive organization and involves multiple teammates. One of those teammates was Arthur Roger, family services supervisor. He said, “It is always an honor to serve our donor families, and this case was no different. We couldn't have made donation happen in a way that honored Nathan and his family without every person that was involved in this case.”

This case showed the strength of our team and how well we work together. "It was a consistent effort across departments all the way up to executive leadership. It was like the compilation of everything we've been developing. It just shows that how we do it works.” Brianna said. None of this could have happened without the efforts of our partners at Mission Hospital and MedCenter Air, and our own teams at LifeShare.

Nathan’s legacy as a donor hero will live on for years to come. He saved 5 lives and healed multiple people through organ and tissue donation.

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to Nathan's family for allowing us to share his story.