Jessica Harden was sitting around her house one night in the middle of April when she got a call from her husband. Ralfeal Harden was around 19th Avenue and Thunderbird when he called and asked Jessica if she could pick him up, "He was afraid some people were following him," said Jessica Harden.
Jessica ran out the door and drove to pick up her husband. She pulled in to the Autumn Ridge apartments and saw Ralfeal on the ground, he had been shot in the face, "I saw so much blood coming out of his mouth and ears, I knew it wasn't good," said Jessica Harden.
Her husband was rushed to the hospital where he died two days later, "He loved his family," said Jessica Harden. The couple have an eight year old daughter, Jessica says it has been incredibly hard for her to understand why someone shot her dad, "She is struggling right now," said Jessica Harden.
It was not more than two weeks before the shooting that Ralfeal and Jessica were in a doctor's office discussing Jessica's health. The 24-year-old was diagnosed with muscular sclerosis. While they discussed Jessica's condition with doctors they both signed up to become organ donors, "He did everything I did to make me feel better," said Jessica Harden.
What neither of them knew then was that it would be Ralfeal's organs harvested. Jessica says six of his organs including his heart went to save people, "He was so excited to be a hero," said Jessica Harden.
Through tears Jessica Harden discussed what her husband becoming a donor means, "It means I could be in the grocery store and my husband's heart could be in line behind me," said Jessica Harden.
How being a donor works?
Doctor's asked the family if they knew of anyone that was on a transplant list and could use an organ. Jessica didn't , but her aunt Joanie Galas did. A few months earlier Galas ran into an old high school friend and learned he was on dialysis do to kidney failure.
Only a couple days after Ralfeal was pronounced dead Tom Lacapa received a call, "Someone from the Organ Donor Network told me they may have a match for me and to get to the hospital," said Lacapa.
After a few tests to make sure the kidney was a match Lacapa prepped for surgery, he was about to get a new kidney, "The gift of life, how do you measure that," said Lacapa.
The surgery was a success. It's been about three weeks and Lacapa calls it a miracle, he calls Ralfeal Harden a hero, "He made a decision to be a donor, that makes him a hero to me," said Lacapa.
Last week Jessica Harden and Lacapa met for the first time, "I told him his fiancé she has to share him with me since part of him is my Ralfeal," said Harden.
Lacapa has had the new kidney about a month now and says it's "working like a champ", but acknowledging he still gets tired. During only his second visit ever with Jessica, Lacapa whispered a special message in her ear, "Ralfeal is with us," said Lacapa. "He is not dead, he is living in me."
Police have no leads in the case but continue to investigate.
If you would like to help out the family they have set up an account for donations.
