James Francis Curtin (JFC) Foundation Profile

The James Francis Curtin Foundation was established to honor an otherwise healthy 8-year-old boy who died of acute fulminant liver failure and to bring about a change in attitudes with respect to how Americans view organ donation. The story of James is one of great joy and love. As James' parents, we feel honored to have known this tremendous person who has touched the lives of thousands of people in a way that none of us could understand. Already his foundation has inspired thousands of local community members to make the decision for organ donation; a topic they had not previously given any thought to at all. Additionally, every parent who learns the story of how our son suddenly died six weeks after contracting a common virus feels compelled to hug their own children just a little bit tighter.

Life is very precious and unpredictable. Only God knows how much time each of us is given. But there are wonderful teams of doctors who are standing by ready to extend that life through organ transplantation so that they can help God’s will be done. All they need are the parts. When James was in need, there were no parts to be found during the brief window of time where he would have benefited from it. His parents felt at first that this was due to the selfishness of others but we now believe that people are fundamentally good intentioned. Anyone who refused to donate the organs of their loved ones who died during the time that James was waiting for a liver, most likely acted out of grief and lack of understanding. Since they had not previously given any thought to the subject, they could not picture the sweet face of an 8-year-old boy in Dallas who was waiting to be saved by them making a different choice. All they could think about was someone wanting to “harvest” their loved one’s organs and they found that to be unthinkable. So they buried all those healthy organs, and as a result James along with many others, died as well.

It is our mission in life to change that outcome for future children, future moms, dads, brothers and sisters. When your spirit is gone to heaven, you no longer need your physical body. By sharing it with others, you give the priceless gift of life to someone else and your loved ones know that a part of you lives on. That can bring them profound comfort in the midst of their grief.

We hope that everyone reading this message will register as an organ donor today and will inform their family members of that decision. May God bless you and keep you all the days of your life!