OLYMPIA FIELDS, Ill. (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- The family of a donor organ recipient says "thank you" in a special way this Valentine's Day.
"He was that guy that, if you needed someone to show up, he would be there," said Blevian Moore.
Her son, Richard, had chronic kidney disease and went for a year and a half for dialysis at the Fresenius Kidney Care Center in Olympia Fields.
Then, a miracle happened. He received two kidneys from a young child who had died.
"Once he got his transplant he was living his best life and just doing everything. Bought a car. Got a job," Moore said.
Moore said her son had told her he wanted to say "thank you" in some way to the staff at Fresenius but, two weeks later, in November, the 23-year old was killed in a one-car crash at Joe Orr Road and Western Avenue in Olympia Fields.
Then, his organs were donated.
"To know that there's someone out there that's looking through my son's eyes, it really makes me feel honored and blessed to have raised a child like that," Moore said.
On this Valentine's Day, Richard Moore's family gave $25 gift cards, pastries and toiletries to the staff at Fresenius.
Helena Hardin said she and the rest of the staff enjoyed every time Richard came in for dialysis.
"Certain people you get attached to and he was one of those."
Jack Lynch, who retired from Gift of Hope, an organ and tissue donor network serving Illinois and Northwest Indiana, said there are 120,000 people nationwide on waiting lists for life-saving organ or tissue transplants.
He said 5,000 people are on waiting lists in Illinois and Northwest Indiana and that at least a third of them are Black.
Among them is Trinette Britt-Johnson who said she is operating at 5% kidney function with one kidney.
"It's frustrating, it's long, it's scary," she said.
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