The Gift of Life: Jason Gionet

“The transplant gift from your loved one enables me to now walk and care for my wife who is confined to a wheelchair with MS (multiple sclerosis),” Cliff Gionet, donor father, read from a letter.

Cliff’s son, Jason, was a certified financial planner from Gainesville who choked at his work desk. He was 31 years old. Jason heroically donated his tissues to enhance the lives of 50 to 75 recipients.

Following Jason’s passing, Cliff decided to get involved in efforts to promote the importance of donation and joining the donor registry.

“My son’s death was the day I died as well,” Cliff said. “Hope, faith, belief and spirit were all lost to me. When our family received the letter from the recipient of some of Jason’s spinal column, I began to realize that I might be able to spread the word of Jason’s decision to be a tissue and organ donor and encourage others to make the same choice.”

Cliff has become a dedicated volunteer for LifeQuest Organ Recovery Services and has traveled throughout North Florida delivering dozens of presentations about Jason and the Gift of Life. Cliff has shared his story with a range of audiences, including church congregations, high school classes, civic clubs, mother and daughter dinners, and in the workplace.

“Volunteering has helped me because my focus changed from a sense of complete devastation and loss after Jason died to a sense of greater purpose and meaning for the years I have left,” Cliff said. “There is no greater gift one human can give to another than life.”