Mason Kiley’s life came to a tragic end, far too soon at the age of 14 a little over a year ago. But he’ll have a legacy that lives on through several lives saved and enriched through his selflessness.
Prior to his passing, the Bayou Gauche boy signed up to be an organ donor. That decision has saved the lives of five people. Two others have sight because of his gift. And his very story recently saved the life of another.
Kiley died on Easter Sunday of 2024, after falling from a golf cart and hitting his head on the concrete ground. While he seemed to be fine at first, hours later he had to be airlifted to Manning Family Children’s Hospital.
He was riding with friends and fell from the cart. The fall caused brain trauma and Kiley underwent surgery to remove blood and pressure on his brain.
After surviving this surgery, he was placed in PICU in critical care. Kiley’s family was told that the brain damage suffered from the brain bleed, the pressure on the brain stem, and a stroke he had prior to the surgery would be irreversible.
He was unresponsive, not breathing on his own and not making any purposeful movements. He remained in hospital care until his passing.
Since Kiley’s death, his mother Missie Durapau has maintained a goal of spreading awareness of what being an organ donor entails and the incredible impact it can have on the lives of others – and in Kiley’s memory, Durapau does just that volunteering with the Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency and telling her son’s story.
“The most important thing I tell people is to have that conversation with your family,” Durapau said. “When a family is in the ICU, it’s devastating news and the last thing you want is some stranger coming up to you about organ donation. Talk with your family … so many people die waiting for an organ transplant. There are over 100,000 people on the national waiting list. It’s my mission now (to spread awareness).”
It was a conversation between Durapau and Kiley that sparked the latter’s interest in becoming a donor – he inquired about the heart symbol on Durapau’s driver’s license noting her as an organ donor. That conversation came just six months before he passed away. Kiley made it official three months after that talk when he went to attain his hunting license.
“I’m so glad we had that talk, because I knew he understood what it meant,” Durapau said. “I know it’s what he wanted and I never had to doubt that.”
One person can donate organs to as many as eight people, while 75 others may benefit from the donation of other tissues.
Durapau said that a mother reached out to let her know that Mason’s story saved her son’s life. The mother saw the story circulating on social media and insisted her son – who had suffered a blow to the head while playing baseball – go to the emergency room.
As Kiley was, the boy seemed fine before arriving at the hospital. There, he suffered a seizure – but the immediate action taken to administer medical attention, and ultimately surgery, saved his life.
“It’s special to me, just hearing that he saved another person through his story is helpful,” said Durapau.
Durapau said she’s been in contact with two of Kiley’s organ recipients, one of which she was able to meet in person in January.
“He’s like part of the family now,” Durapau said of the meeting. “He started volunteering and said he talks about Mason all the time … it just makes it real for me, getting to see all the pictures and everything moving forward.”
Kiley would no doubt be very proud of the good his actions have done for others; though just a teenager, he exhibited the desire to help others and set a positive example throughout his life. Kiley had a goal of growing up to become a preacher. He was extremely active in his church, participating in youth group and leading monthly bible lessons for the youngest members of his family’s church.
“I got so many notes after the fact – the kids were writing letters to him, and so many said he helped them, that they’d be getting bullied or felt unloved and unseen, and he went out of his way to help,” Durapau said.
Durapau expressed great gratitude for what she called amazing support from the community around her, including Kiley’s friends and classmates – who held a fundraiser last year for LOPA in Kiley’s honor – as well as the many others who helped her family through such a tragic time.
“I couldn’t have survived and still couldn’t without the support, love and prayers from this entire community,” she said.
