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TRANSPLANTS Justin with his daughter Callie
& TRANSFUSION
A Good
Samaritan
to the
very end
By Mike W. Thomas
Most every story of a successful, life-saving transplant begins with Huey said everything was in chaos for the next few moments as
a heartbreaking story of tragic loss. she called her husband, her daughter, Tiffany, and Justin’s father
whom she had divorced when he was a toddler). She called the hos-
For J.K. Huey, the story began on March 15, 2015 when she pital as well, but they would not tell her anything about his condition
learned that her son, Justin Bateman, had been critically injured in over the phone.
a motorcycle accident. The events of that tragic day were still fresh
in her mind nearly one year later as she recalled them. Once at the hospital, Huey said the medical staff was kind and
comforting, but just the look on their faces confirmed her worst fears.
Justin, 28, had left his house late the night before for a quick run Justin had lost control of his bike and slammed into a retaining wall
to the store on his motorcycle. The next morning, Huey got a call at Wurzbach Parkway and Thousand Oaks. He suffered massive head
from Tiffany, Justin’s fiancé, worried because he had not come home trauma and had been unresponsive from the time emergency person-
and was not answering her calls or texts. Huey went over to their nel arrived. They had him intubated and would leave him on life-
house and picked up Justin’s 4-year old daughter and took her to support for as long as the family wished, but a CAT scan had revealed
McDonald’s for breakfast and then her home, because Tiffany wasn’t no brain activity or hope for recovery.
feeling well had her hands full taking care of their 9-month old son.
Shortly after she got home, the doorbell rang and she saw the sleeve The rest of that day and evening was a blur of family, friends
patch of a policeman through the window. and medical staff coming and going. Huey still tears up at the rec-
ollection of Justin’s father sitting at his bedside all that night. One
“My immediate thought was ‘Please let him be in jail,’” Huey said. person who came and spoke with her that afternoon was from the
But the officer informed her that Justin was in the intensive care unit Texas Organ Sharing Alliance (TOSA). Justin had not registered
(ICU) at San Antonio Military Medical Center or SAMMC. The of- as a donor and it would be up to the family if they wanted to share
ficer had come to Huey’s house because that was the address that was any of his organs.
still listed on Justin’s driver’s license.
16 San Antonio Medicine • April 2016
