Samuel Hannes McCrow believed in seizing the day. A lover of the natural world in general and the ocean in particular, he planned to commit his life to ocean exploration and conservation. On August 4, 2007, Samuel had a fatal brain hemorrhage while surfing and became an organ donor. He was 17. When Samuel obtained his driver's license the year before, he had chosen organ donation for the power behind the gift. "It was an easy and obvious decision for someone like Samuel," said his sister Kristin Eldridge.

Samuel's Story

Samuel Hannes McCrow believed in seizing the day. By 17, Samuel Hannes McCrow knew that life was short and not to be missed. His motto, "Life's short, so start partying," was less a cry to live on the edge and more of a laid-back shrug and acknowledgement toward not taking a day for granted.

Samuel loved climbing mountains, traveling to the coast to surf and scuba dive, and chilling out with close friends and family. A lover of the natural world in general and the ocean in particular, Samuel planned to commit his life to ocean exploration and conservation.

While on a road trip down the West coast to San Diego with his mother and a sister, he spoke directly of wanting to have his ashes scattered in the ocean. Shortly after, on August 4th, 2007, Samuel had a fatal brain hemorrhage on Mission Beach while surfing with his cousin and surrounded by family. While in the hospital, a shattered family stood together and acknowledged that the heart printed on his license indeed meant that Samuel was an organ donor.

"When Samuel received his driver's license the year before, he chose organ donation for the power behind the gift and because his sisters had made the same choice," Samuel's sister Kristen Eldridge explained. "It was an easy and obvious decision for someone like Samuel. Why keep what he couldn't use? Why hold on to something he had to offer?"

What the world inherits from this remarkable spirit is more than the sum or distribution of his parts. His organs became physical representations of an offering to life itself, to its potential, to the experience, and a reminder never to take it for granted.