Meet Jack

Organ donation leads to friendship between families

SPRINGFIELD - son of Christine Smith, the late Spc. Jack Gallaher, died in a fire accident four years ago while serving in the Army at Fort Lewis, Washington, but for her, he saw in Steve Charest.

Smith, a resident of Springfield, could not talk to his son before dying. Jack had never spoken so he wanted to donate his organs, and Smith had not thought of before, either.

"It's something I decided. It's just popped into my head. Obviously, it was a good idea," she said. "I knew going there that he would not survive ."

The decision to donate Gallaher two kidneys and liver led to a long-standing friendship with Jean Charest, 50, and his wife, Kathy, 49, of Orting, Washington - Kathy Charest told a relationship is typical of donor and beneficiaries. The Charest visited Christine Smith and his family for the 28th anniversary of Jack Gallaher, they still celebrate at a party this weekend.

"It's an unbelievable feeling just to know that part of him lives in someone else," said Smith.

"My soldier, my hero"

Dates around the death of his son in an accident off-base in the right context in September 2007 when Smith was asked at that time.

"It was Sept. 6," said Smith, who has four other children. "I'm up there on the seventh and outer life support turned off on the 10th.

"It is rather crude. The police detectives ..." she said, trailing off as she tries to describe the circumstances."Anyway, of course, he and a friend were at this apartment off post and they looked at each other weapons or had some other weapons or something, and as I understand it, the gun went off and Jack was shot. "

Smith speaks in sentences cut about Jack. She says he always wanted to be in the army, but he is not sure why or what he liked about it. He was an outdoorsman who especially enjoyed fishing and motorcycles.

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