DECATUR COUNTY, GA — June Faircloth has spent the past 16 years advocating for organ donation, a mission born from personal tragedy and the legacy of her 18-year-old son, Dylan, who saved six lives as a donor.
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Dylan passed away 17 years after the death of his father. Because Dylan was a registered organ donor, he donated his heart, his liver, both kidneys and his cornea.
"I was so thankful that he had made his decision and that I did not have to do that ahead of time, even though it's still a grueling process," Faircloth said.
Dylan's donations had a global reach. His heart went to Stan Gann, a former Georgia Tech quarterback, and a cornea went to a child in Dubai. Gann lived for 12 more years with Dylan's heart before passing away from cancer.
Faircloth’s connection to organ donation started 33 years ago when her husband, Jeff, was killed in a car crash on his way to work. At the time, she respected her mother-in law’s wishes not to donate his organs.
"She didn't understand," Faircloth said. "So I certainly respected that, and then I regretted it the rest of my life, and I will always."
Following her husband's death, Faircloth made it her mission to educate her children about the importance of organ donation. After Dylan died, she embraced advocacy to honor his assertive nature.
"I decided that the only way to stop it or to make people understand was to get out and help to push the cause," Faircloth said. "And the fact that my son was anything but silent, he was very much assertive as both my kids are, and he would have expected me to do that."
Faircloth says the impact of donation extends far beyond local communities.
"So, you know, you don't impact necessarily just what's around you and your neighbors," Faircloth said. "It's all over the world."
She stressed that the impact starts with a difficult conversation.
"It's hard for people to think about that conversation because it's not one anybody wants to have, especially parents with their children," Faircloth said. "And I see it every day. It's just, if they were educated about it, they understand the process better, they understand what it does for the recipients. The more recipient stories that you hear, those are some of the most grateful people on this planet because they are given that second chance to live."
When asked what keeps her going, Faircloth credited her family.
"My son's voice," Faircloth said. "I hear my son's voice saying, Mom, you know, when I think it's just been a lot, and I can't do it. And then I think about my children."
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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