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Preble County man’s tragic death on his 25th birthday brings life to 3 strangers

EATON — A crash last week just outside of Eaton turned deadly when Aaron Stobaugh died in the hospital two days later, on his 25th birthday.

His family is devastated, but said his decision to register as an organ donor  brings them hope and comfort as they grieve.

“He would do anything for anybody,” Tiffany Witt said of her cousin. “He’d be there at the drop of a hat for anybody that needed him.”

She said his giving spirit even defined his last act on Earth.

“He was an organ donor and … he was able to save three lives,” she said.

RELATED: Preble County man, injured in crash near Eaton, has died

Stobaugh lost control of his car on a curve on Eaton-Gettysburg Road on Wednesday. He drove over the center line, sideswiped a minivan and slammed into a tree. On Friday, his 25th birthday, he was removed from life support so he could donate two kidneys and a liver to people in need of life-saving organs.

“It was hard for all of us at first, prolonging him on the ventilator. But knowing he was able to help and let somebody else’s child or somebody else’s loved on be able to live a longer life and be not-so-sick … it was just awesome for us and we’re proud of his decision,” Witt said.

So much goes in to matching donors with recipients and saving lives.

Posted by Donate Life Ohio on Wednesday, September 12, 2018

In a couple of weeks, the family should be getting a letter in the mail to let them know a little about the recipients of Stobaugh’s organs.

“He always said if he could do one thing, he’d be able to do that when he passed,” Witt said. “It’s just nice having a part of him to be a part of somebody else.”

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