After losing her son, Ben, over five years ago, Christine Kinsey prayed for God to lead her to something she could do to honor him.
Ben was an organ donor hero saving five lives with Christine being able to meet four of those recipients, and since developing treasured relationships with them and their families.
Christine says through Ben’s gift of organ donations, she has not only found a community, but a new purpose as an advocate for organ donation through her ministry, Blankets From Ben.
Christine tells her story:
“As I was saying my final goodbye to Ben, the counselor from the organ procurement organization (OPO) handed me a crocheted blanket. It was carefully crafted with various pieces of material, sewn together by the hands of volunteers.
“The counselor told me I could use it to tuck my son in for the last time and then I could keep it. This blanket represented an act of compassion that meant (and still means) more to me than words could ever express. I have clung to my blanket many, many nights as I’ve cried myself to sleep and it brings me comfort.
“The woman who donated that blanket had lost her young adult son, too. A friend of hers gave her a blanket to tuck her son in one last time and she was passing it forward to other grieving parents.
“You see, at that horrific time, none of the well-meaning words anyone said to me helped in the least. None of them had lost a child. None of them had a clue what I was feeling. I honestly didn’t know if I’d survive and I didn’t know if I even wanted to.
“Hearing this woman’s story was everything! She did survive and she did understand and she was doing something wonderful for me.
“Organ procurement counselors in SC and across TN keep blankets with them and present them to parents to tuck their children in ‘one last time.’
“Our non-profit has been growing and has comforted many grieving parents in the last few years. I know Ben’s light is still shining and he’s smiling down at his Mama.”
See more information about BlanketsFromBen. or contact Christine Kinsey at her email.
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