Kelsey Bagwell
My husband Kelsey was a lot of things, but an organ donor wasn’t one of them.
It’s not that he was opposed to the idea; he just never applied it to himself. But of all the things he was, being a helper was the one that meant the most to him, so I know he would have jumped at the chance to help others. Let me explain.
Kelsey never wanted to do anything other than teach. He came from a long line of teachers, and he finally achieved his dream about 6 years before his death. He taught English, speech, and drama, but his passion was encouraging his students to think critically. He coached debate teams, relishing in his students’ ability to develop and articulate good arguments on a variety of subjects. A lifelong animal lover, he enjoyed working with a local humane society and training dogs, which, he realized, was also about training dog owners. He got a lot of joy from working with animals with behavior issues, turning them into loving companions.
Kelsey was diagnosed later in life with Asperger syndrome, and he welcomed the diagnosis and threw himself into learning all about it. He considered it a superpower and loved speaking to groups about the autism spectrum.
Kelsey was a lover of all things beautiful. He liked flowers, music, color, and clothing. He was a sharp dresser, always smelled nice, and always had an encouraging word for anyone he met. He was free with sincere compliments and saw the good in everyone.
Knowing all of this – and missing all of this about him – organ donation was the natural choice. Kelsey would have wanted to help anyone he could, and I want to share him with everyone.
