Officer's death highlights organ donation - 13 WTHR Indianapolis

Anne Marie Tiernon/Eyewitness News

Indianapolis - Officer David Moore's family says his service to the community will live on even after his death. They are donating his organs, a gift that will touch several people with potentially life-threatening medical conditions.

"Sometime today there are going to be several people who will receive an amazing phone call because David is going to continue to live through them and he's going to help them have a better life," said IMPD Lt. Spencer Moore (ret.).

David Moore's parents, Spencer and IMPD Sgt. Jo Ann Moore, were visibility heartbroken but also full of hope that their son will live on.

"The one way to get through this is to donate his organs that we developed and they are going to give hope to other families so I can get through today with my son passing because there are other families who are getting a beautiful phone call and I hope he saves them. Somebody is going to get a darn good heart," said Sgt. Moore.

Dr. Joe Tector heads up the transplant program at Indiana University Health. He has yet to receive a call related to Moore, but it's likely it's just too soon.

"It takes a little time when someone has been declared brain dead for them to actually go through the process of organ donation," said Dr. Tector.

The blood work takes up to six hours. Then there is tissue typing, matching and travel time. The family authorized donation of the heart, lungs, liver, kidney, pancreas, small intestine and corneas.

"It's a little different for each organ but the broad goals are to try to keep the organs local," said Dr. Tector. "It's most likely the liver will stay local. It's more likely that the heart could stay local and the lungs. If there is nobody that's a good match for those organs, then they get offered out."

But before the matches, the Moores thanked the community and the Wishard doctors.

"There are not enough superlatives to describe what this guy did. He cared for our son in a very loving and thoughtful manner. He kept us informed and he did the best job he could under the circumstances," said Spencer Moore.

"We knew it was bad when he came in based on his exam, based on his situation, based on the pictures that we had, but it wasn't until yesterday when things were stable enough hat we could really get the full picture," said Dr. Ben Rodgers, a Wishard neurotrauma surgeon. He described the MRI results as disappointing "but at the same time not unexpected. So we were hoping for something else, but it is what we expected to see."

Moore's organs could go as many at ten people. The demand is significant. There are 110,000 people in the US waiting for organs, and 16 of them die every day. Another is added to the list every ten to fifteen minutes.

Learn more about organ donation.