My name is Mollee Markins in July 2022 my family suffered though the most unimaginable loss of our son, brother, grandson, uncle, nephew, cousin, and friend Garrison Joel Markins – he was 20 years young. We adopted Garrison at a very young age and throughout his life he faced many medical challenges due to being extremely early and drug addicted. He had the odds stacked against him from day 1 but he had more fight than so many. Everything that the Drs said he wouldn’t do he did. He won’t talk – he was a little shy but once he knew you he talked a lot. He wont ever walk – not only walk he ran – and ran fast, He became a state placing sprinter and long jumper. Not only did he excel on the track and long jump pit – He also was an amazing football player. They said he would never learn Garrison was a scholar athlete and graduated High School as a licensed dental assistant. After graduation Garrison went onto college and was studying Exercise Science and playing college football something he had always dreamed of! What he lacked in size he made up for in heart. He was all about THE TEAM! (yes we are Michigan fans) Garrison was and still is MY BABY BOY! Garrison and I had an amazing relationship as a Mom and Son. I’ve heard from so many since his passing that he always talked about how much he loved me! I’ve had other moms tell me that they wished that their son would look at them the way Garrison looked at me! Even in High School he was known to sit on my lap at track meets so I could keep him warm! I loved and cherished every one of the seconds that he sat on my lap and never took a single one for granted as I knew all to soon they would end! Never did I think that they would end the way that they did! On July 9, 2022 Garrison suffered a full cardiac arrest due to a flare up of his heart condition after a tough bout with Covid. He survived however on July 11, 2022 he was declared brain dead. We kept him on life support to give family and friends time to come say their goodbyes. On July 13, 2022 at 9:16pm Garrison passed away with his Dad and I by his side. However, Garrison’s story and life didn’t end there. Garrison made the choice to be an organ donor. He saved lives the night he passed away and through them he lives on! We are thankful that we have had communication with all except 1 of his recipients. We consider them our Bonus Family! Garrison was an amazing young man and he was living the dream he had for himself before it was ripped away from him. We founded Garrison’s Legacy to spread awareness and education about the need for Organ Donation and how incredibly important it is! Along with his Liver recipient we have done interviews, podcasts, radio spots, and even shared our story at the Annual Walk for Life hosted by LifeBanc at Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. We do 2 fundraisers each year to spread kindness and help families that are struggling through organ transplants, the loss and organ donors. We also will start giving a scholarship in Garrison’s name in Spring 2025. If you are interested you can make a donation through ApplePay with the link on the site or mail to the address on the donation page, attend any of our fundraisers, but more that anything we want everyone to “check that box” and become an organ donor! Please feel free to message me anytime at GarrisonsLegacy@yahoo.com with any questions about our story and journey! I am an open book about Garrison’s story! It is my way of making Garrison’s life count more than the 20 years he walked the earth and I continue to give him a voice by continuing his story by writing the next chapter.