Donor Family Liaisons

Joy Beach

John and Joy Beach became Donor Parents on August 1, 2014 upon the unexpected death of their son John. John was involved in a fatal motorcycle accident on the evening of his 22nd birthday that ultimately informed his family that he’d made the choice to be an Organ and Tissue Donor in the state of Illinois.

Joy has been an Ambassador for the Gift of Hope since 2015, speaking for hospitals and other groups raising transplantation awareness. In addition, Joy has been an active volunteer with Eversight Illinois and serving on the advisory board for a time.

In 2022, the couple was invited to travel to San Diego for the first time to participate in the Transplant Games. This event was so impactful for John Senior that he has since become a volunteer and advocate for Gift of Hope, sharing John’s story and raising grief/mental health awareness for donor and recipient families.

The Beach’s have met three of John’s six organ recipients and hope to meet any others living with John’s gift. They hope to continue to share John’s story and positively impact the community surrounding organ and tissue donation.

Claudia Acevedo

Claudia Acevedo traveled to San Diego in 2022 to honor her 26-year-old son, Jaime. He passed away on Oct. 12, 2018, and became an organ donor.

“We called him the Cisco Kid,” she says. “He was as loving and caring a person anyone could have ever met. He was kind to everyone he met and could always entertain you with interesting news from around the world.”

As sad as it is to lose a child, she says, Claudia knows that Jaime would have been proud that he was able to make a difference in so many people’s lives.

“He was witty and could make anyone laugh,” she continues. “Jaime had the goofiest crooked smile that would make you smile right back. His heart beats on.”

Claudia hopes to raise funding for Transplant Life Illinois to support more donor families who wish to honor their loved ones at the Games.