95-year-old organ donor is the oldest in US history

Cecil Lockhart

Cecil Lockhart from Welch, West Virginia is now the oldest organ donor in US history.

The 95-year-old died on May 4, and his liver was used to save the life of a woman.

His family told CNN that Lockhart wanted to become an organ donor after his son, who died in 2010, healed the lives of 75 people through tissue donation and restored sight to two others through cornea donation.

“When my brother was a donor after he passed away a few years ago, it helped my dad to heal,” said Sharon White, Lockhart’s daughter. “Today, knowing his life is continuing through others really is helping us through our grief too.”

And his son-in-law told the outlet that he’d been a kind person throughout his life. He served as a corporal in the US Army during World War II and was a coal miner for more than 50 years.

The previous record for the oldest donor was a 93-year-old.

According to the  United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), chief medical officer David Klassen said no one is too old or too young to donate.”Every potential donor is evaluated on a case-by-case basis at the time of their death to determine which organs and tissue are suitable for donation,” Klassen said. “Cecil’s generous and historic gift is a perfect example of that.”