‘People need to talk more about donation’

On a sunny summer evening, Tygo (19) is hit by a car. He spends weeks in the hospital. Unfortunately, his situation does not improve. His parents, Arvid and Joyce, make the difficult decision to stop treatment. Because they have often talked about donation, they know that Tygo wants to donate organs and tissue.

According to his parents, Tygo always lived in the moment. “He was always busy. Every day he went to the gym. He also worked there. He taught pilates to the elderly and helped people lose weight and recover after an injury,” Arvid says. Joyce adds: “He was always there for others. Tygo easily struck up a conversation. He was a true connector.”

The accident

Arvid and Joyce remember the day of the accident well. After dinner, the family called with daughter Kyra, who was in America. “After that, Tygo left on his bike. He was going wakeboarding for a bit,” Joyce says. On the way back, things go wrong. Because of the low sun, Tygo and the driver do not see each other. Tygo is hit, is seriously injured, and is immediately unconscious.

Extremely critical condition

Around quarter to ten at night, Joyce and Arvid are startled by two police officers at the door. They talk about the accident and that Tygo's life is in danger. “We immediately drove after the ambulance. Tygo was operated on in the hospital. After that surgery, Tygo looked very bad. It felt surreal. You don't expect it to happen to you, until it suddenly does,” Joyce says.

Agonizing decision

Ultimately, Tygo undergoes surgery nine times. “Tygo’s organs got better, but his brain didn't. He was less conscious and never woke up again. We don't know if he heard or saw us,” Arvid says. “Tygo would become a vegetable. He didn't want that.” That thought helps Joyce and Arvid in making this agonizing decision: to stop treatment. Nine days later, Tygo passes away. “The loss of Tygo is in all my fibers,” Arvid says. “The worst thing that can happen to you as a parent is losing a child. That is your greatest fear. A piece of us died with him too,” Joyce says.

To donate or not

According to the doctors in the hospital, Tygo could not donate organs and tissue due to the medications in his body. “We had resigned ourselves to that,” Joyce says. After the death, a forensic doctor examines Tygo. They decide that donation is possible after all. “I was jumping for joy. It was Tygo’s wish.” Many of Tygo’s organs and tissues turn out to be no longer usable. Ultimately, Tygo donates his heart valves and both corneas.

Aftercare

“After the donation, we received a letter that the retrieval was successful,” Joyce says. “We think it's a shame that we haven't heard more. After all, our son changed multiple lives. But we understand that more simply isn't possible. It is legally established that donation is anonymous. We mainly went on our own investigation.”

Talking about donation

Since he was fourteen years old, Tygo was determined: he wanted to be a donor. “A few years ago, the change in the donor law was in the news. Because of that, we talked with each other about our wishes to be a donor or not. Tygo always firmly stated that he wanted to help others,” Arvid says. Joyce adds: “His wish has come true. Even after his death, he has helped people. Somewhere, pieces of Tygo live on. That thought offers us comfort.”

From daze to realization

More than a year after his death, Joyce and Arvid miss their Tygo more than ever. “In the first year, you live in a daze, as it were. You have a lot of distraction from everything you have to arrange. Now we realize that he is truly never coming home again. We talk a lot and with great pride about him, so that he is not forgotten,” Joyce says. Tygo’s death also causes a lot of emotional fallout in the surrounding community. Arvid: “People around us talk about their wishes regarding death, euthanasia, and organ and tissue donation. They know each other's wishes. That happened because of Tygo, and that makes us proud.”