Dale Steele with wife Doris – Courtesy of Live On Nebraska
Two hours after Dale Steele passed away, his son received a call.
The circle of life was spinning and Dale’s legacy would soon live on. Even at 100 years old, his liver was 100% healthy and he could donate it.
“How could that even be?” his son, Roger, wondered.
Officials from the organ donation nonprofit Live On Nebraska explained it to Steele’s children: the way the liver constantly replaces cells and regenerates makes its ‘functional age’ usually less than three years old.
His liver was successfully transplanted into a grateful patient just one day after his death. And at 100 years old, the procedure made Dale the oldest organ donor in U.S. history.
“One of the myths we hear out in the community often, is that ‘I’m too old to be an organ donor. I might not be healthy enough to be a donor.’ And I think a case like this truly proves that there is no age limit,” Kyle Herber, president and CEO of Live On Nebraska told Nebraska Public Media.
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Dale was born near Ainsworth, Nebraska in 1925 and served in Europe during World War II. After that, the cattle rancher returned home and met his wife Doris, who he was married to for 72 years. Dale remained active throughout his life by raising cattle, working at a farming co-op, and selling irrigation and grain handling equipment.
“If he could help people, he would. But he wasn’t showy about it,” said Roger. “He had a strong body that was able to carry him through his 100th birthday. I think that came from hard work.”
So, as Dale’s life was nearing its end in February, the organ donor group inquired about his organs. The answer was an easy one.
“We consented without any hesitation,” Roger said. “We thought, this is the kind of thing—if he were able to be asked, he’d agree to.”
“I just know his response would be, ‘Well, if I can help somebody else, fine.”
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According to Herber, more than 100,000 patients in the U.S. are waiting for a life-saving organ transplant, including nearly 400 in Nebraska alone. And it’s estimated that approximately 17 people die every day while waiting for a transplant.
Dale was able to save at least one of them.
“This is a story about a life of service that didn’t end at death,” Herber told Live On Nebraska. “Mr. Steele lived a full century giving to others, and through (organ) donation, that generosity continues in a way that will impact lives for years to come.”
WATCH the video below…
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