Inside were a letter, Mark’s donor authorization, and contact information for the attorney who had organized his estate. He had reviewed our finances to spare me confusion, but his deepest concern was his mother, Violet. She opposed organ donation, and he feared she would blame me for honoring his decision. “Protect my choice, not my reputation,” he wrote. Even while facing death, he wanted me to know I did not have to carry that guilt.
The final pages belonged to Cecelia, our unborn daughter. Mark described choosing her name and explained his hope that donating might give another family more time together. When Violet read his words, she understood: this had always been his choice. Several weeks later, Cecelia arrived healthy, carrying the name we had chosen together. Someday, I would give her that letter so she could hear, in her father’s own words, how deeply he had loved her.
