In late May 2016, 31-year-old Ryan Shupert was beaten to death in Lutherville, MD. His parents received the devastating phone call that no parent ever wants, telling them their son had passed away.
"He was a wonderful son," his father Tom Shupert told WBAL-TV. "He was big in sports going through high school, and then he got through college and he was interested in finance and got involved in the finance area."
Before Ryan died, he made sure his legacy would live on through organ donation. Ryan was a registered organ donor in life and death. He registered when his mother, Carolyn, was ill.
She told WBAL-TV, "I was very sick and we were the same blood type and we matched, and he just came to me and said he would take care of me and he did."
When he passed away in May, his organs were able to save five other people. One of those people was Jane Moreland, who had four tumors on her liver.
On the day that Tom and Carolyn Shupert received the worst phone call of their lives, Jane Moreland received the incredible news she was waiting for: she was getting a new liver.
This winter, Jane and Carolyn were able to meet at Mercy Medical Center's annual banquet for liver transplant patients. Jane was finally able to express to Carolyn what her son's life meant to her. "I'm sorry for their loss," she said, "and for helping me, to save my life. I really appreciate it."
Carolyn finds comfort in the fact that her son's death was able to help so many others. "We had the tragedy but to know that others live, I actually live, because of him. It makes us feel good," she said.
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