‘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 condition does not improve. His parents, Arvid and Joyce, make the difficult decision to stop treatment. Because they had often talked about donation, they know that Tygo wanted 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 from injuries,” says Arvid. Joyce adds: “He was always there for others. Tygo found it easy to strike up a conversation. He was a true connector.”

The accident

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

Very critical condition

Around 9:45 p.m., Joyce and Arvid are startled by two police officers at the door. They tell them about the accident and that Tygo is in mortal danger. “We drove straight after the ambulance. In the hospital, Tygo underwent surgery. After that surgery, Tygo looked very bad. It felt unreal. You don't expect it to happen to you, until it suddenly does,” says Joyce.

A heavy decision

In the end, Tygo undergoes nine surgeries. “Tygo’s organs were getting better, but his brain was not. He was less conscious and never woke up again. We don't know if he heard or saw us,” says Arvid. “Tygo would have become a vegetable. He didn't want that.” That thought helps Joyce and Arvid make this heavy decision: to stop treatment. Nine days later, Tygo passes away. “The loss of Tygo is in every fiber of my being,” says Arvid. “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,” says Joyce.

To donate or not

According to the doctors in the hospital, Tygo could not donate organs and tissue due to the medication in his body. “We had come to terms with that,” says Joyce. After his 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 unusable. In the end, Tygo donates his heart valves and both corneas.

Aftercare

“After the donation, we received a letter saying the retrieval was successful,” says Joyce. “We find it a pity that we haven't heard more. Our son changed several lives, after all. But we understand that there is only so much that is possible. It is legally established that donation is anonymous. We mainly went looking for information ourselves.”

Talking about donation

Since he was fourteen, 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 to each other about our wishes regarding being a donor or not. Tygo always firmly said that he wanted to help others,” says Arvid. Joyce adds: “His wish has been fulfilled. Even after his death, he helped people. In a way, pieces of Tygo live on. That thought offers us comfort.”

From a 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 kind of daze. You have a lot of distraction from everything you have to arrange. Now we realize that he is really never coming home again. We talk a lot and with pride about him, so that he is not forgotten,” says Joyce. Tygo’s death has also caused a lot of stir in the 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.”