MADISON, Wis. – Erich Stubbe was a devoted husband, loving son and committed public servant who worked for the sheriff’s department for more than six years, and following his death in November he continued to serve others as an organ donor.
His family, friends and staff of UW Health and UW Organ and Tissue Donation gathered on April 23 at University Hospital to honor his donation. His wife, Anna Stubbe, spoke before staff raised the Donate Life flag outside the hospital. The couple married in July, and even before their wedding, she knew how deeply her husband believed in helping others.
“He was a registered donor when we met,” she said. “He told me early on, ‘What am I going to do with my organs when I’m gone? I don’t need them,’ and that was just who he was, always giving.”
The 36-year-old was critically injured in a motorcycle crash one autumn afternoon and taken to University Hospital. Despite life-saving measures in the emergency department, he was not going to survive his injuries. This devastating news thrust his family into unimaginable grief. Yet, through that grief, a final act of selflessness emerged. Donation and family support specialists from UW Organ and Tissue Donation reminded the family that Erich had signed up on Wisconsin’s organ donor registry.
“I am so grateful the team approached me,” Anna said. “Organ donation was the last thing I was thinking about that night, but the team was patient and answered our questions and made our family feel comfortable with what was going to happen next.”
What came next was an extensive testing process, one that is carried out on every potential organ donor while they are supported on a ventilator in a critical care unit. The tests differ for each donor but typically include a computed tomography, or CT, scan, ultrasounds, biopsies, and in Erich’s case, a bronchoscopy to rule out any infection or damage in his lungs. These tests can take between 24 and 48 hours and ensure each organ is viable and safe for transplantation, according to Kayla Statz, organ procurement coordinator, UW Organ and Tissue Donation.
“This is critical work that determines how many lives can be touched by one donor,” she said. “We keep the donor’s family at the forefront of everything we do to make sure they are seen and supported during the evaluation process.”
In addition to providing updates on the results of each test to Anna and Erich’s family, Statz helped the family make final memories. For the diehard football fan, that meant watching one last rivalry game as a family in his hospital room.
“Erich never missed a Packers game. It was important that we could watch one last Packers-Bears game with him; it was even better that they won!” Anna said. “Our family had the chance to say goodbye in a meaningful way.”
In the midst of a family’s grief, organ donation offers a chance to bring hope to others. Currently, more than 100,000 people in the United States are waiting for organ transplants. The need is urgent, as one new person is added to the transplant list every eight minutes. Organ donation can save up to eight lives, and tissue donation can help more than 75 people, according to Michael Anderson, executive director of UW Organ and Tissue Donation.
“Every donor hero is different, and Erich’s story is one of profound strength, compassion and generosity,” he said. “He set an example for others to follow and decided to register as an organ and tissue donor. It is a decision that saved lives.”
As an organ donor, Erich was able to touch several lives as his heart, lungs, liver, kidneys and corneas went to recipients in need of life-saving gifts. While Erich’s death was sudden and heartbreaking, the impact of his decision to be a donor continues to bring healing, not just to the recipients of his organs, but to his wife and larger extended family who now carry his legacy forward.
“If sharing his story inspires just one more person to sign up as an organ donor, then it’s worth it,” Anna said. “This is not what any family expects, but it was what Erich wanted. We did it for him.”
