Honoring Our Veterans

For us, Veterans Day is a time to honor the courage, sacrifice, and commitment of our nation’s veterans and military – those who have served, and those who continue to serve.  We would like to thank, and honor all our soldiers, both home and abroad, and those who are no longer with us for their bravery and service.

Today, LifeCenter would like to recognize a veteran within our donation community. Francisco “Frank” Sarabia was an amazing father and soldier. Not only did he devote his life to his family, but he proudly served his country. Frank served 23 years in the United States Army with multiple deployments, and was stationed at Joint Base Lewis McChord. He was reliable-always there to lend a helping hand-and selflessly gave to others, but also knew how to have fun. Frank’s daughter described him as a “smart aleck who found humor and enjoyment being a prankster”. He enjoyed watching old movies and rooting for his team, the Oakland Raiders.

Frank passed away in March of 2012 after an accident while working on his truck. Although he passed away too soon, Frank was able to help save the lives of two other people by choosing to donate his organs. His daughter Ashley said that, “he made it clear long before his accident that he wanted to donate his organs. We just honored his wish.” His care for others carries on through his donation. With his donation, a young woman has the opportunity to experience the rest of her life and a father gets a second chance to spend more time with his family. “Knowing that two people have been able to live better lives because of my father’s kidneys has been comforting to our family. Losing him was hard but knowing something so positive came from his death has definitely eased some of the pain” said Ashley.

We are thankful for all the people like Frank Sarabia who dedicate so much of themselves to others. This Veterans Day, Frank will be honored at the Fallen Soldier Donor Memorial tribute statue at the National Donor Memorial in Richmond, VA for his honorable service in the army and his generous gifts of life to the two people he helped save. The project, spearheaded by OneLegacy Foundation and the United Network of Organ Sharing (UNOS) will also produce a corresponding plaque displayed at the military base in Germany where injured troops are treated.

Frank is a hero. He risked is life to serve his country and protect those he cared about at home, and made the choice to continue to give life to others after his death. His bravery, courage, and kindness is a true testament to the heroism and legacy he left behind. Thank you to Francisco and to all of the other brave men and women who have served for this country!