Nineteen-Year-Old Donor Hero Saves Lives through the Gift of Organ and Tissue Donation

Jazmyne Montoya was an independent, kind, and courageous nineteen-year-old. Her family, from Yukon, Oklahoma, say she had launched a career as a nail artist and had a growing clientele, and she was joyful and optimistic about her future.

When Jazmyne passed away from health complications in April, her parents honored her wish to be an organ, eye and tissue donor – a decision she compassionately made when receiving her driver’s license at sixteen. 
 
“We have so many amazing memories of Jazmyne,” her mother, Rosa, said. “When I was five months pregnant and had my first ultrasound picture, you could see she was smiling. When I see more recent pictures, she has that same smile.”

Rosa, Mother of Donor Hero, Jazmyne

Jazmyne’s loved ones are proud of the impact she made in her nineteen years. She was often found at the park with her sister and friends and loved to visit the lake. She adored her puppy, Bruno. Jazmyne was creative, playing the flute and expressing herself through makeup. She was the person who always showed up for her friends, making time so everyone felt special and supported. Her father said she gave the best hugs, her kindness always shining through.
 
Because of her choice to be a donor, Jazmyne left an incredible legacy. Through her gift, she has saved the lives of two kidney transplant recipients and two infants in need of heart valves, and many others who will receive life-enhancing tissue transplants.
 
Across the U.S., over 100,000 people are in need of a lifesaving transplant, and more than 800 are in Oklahoma. When you register your decision to be an organ, eye and tissue donor, you have the potential to save up to eight lives and enhance 75 others.
 
This holiday season, LifeShare encourages all Oklahomans to offer hope to our communities by registering to be a donor and sharing your decision with your family. Today, you can make an impact – and there is no greater gift than the gift of life.