how can I give another person a chance at life all the while trying to heal from the grief and guilt I feel on a daily basis from taking my best friend’s life?
It all started October 8th, 2018. My best friend Darren was getting ready to leave for three months to go to work. I thought it would be cool if a few of our closest friends got together to say goodbye to Darren. At about 7 p.m. everybody was finally together. It was Darren, myself and my four-year-old daughter (I was a single father), our buddies Blake and Danny, one of our neighbors, and another mutual friend. Darren and I lived across the street from each other, so we were sitting in my front yard talking and drinking some beer. I had a job interview the next day, so I was taking it easy, not drinking as much as everybody else. I had two tall cans over a four- to five-hour period. As the night went on, people got hungry and wanted to get some food. We decided to go to a Vietnamese restaurant in Milpitas about twenty minutes away.
On the way to the restaurant, I hit a huge bump in the freeway, lost control of my vehicle, and rolled down a 100-foot embankment. Darren was not wearing a seat belt, got ejected from the car where first responders found him 80 feet from the scene, and perished. I was ultimately charged and convicted of second-degree murder because I had alcohol in my system and I had a previous DUI. I was sentenced to 19 years to life.
Since then I have been trying to think of a way to honor Darren. Being a chef, I wrote a cookbook featuring dishes you can make in jail and dedicated it to Darren, but it is extremely hard to get something published while incarcerated. So I figured I had to do something else. I got to thinking: how can I give another person a chance at life all the while trying to heal from the grief and guilt I feel on a daily basis from taking my best friend’s life? So since I am a healthy guy, I decided I can do a living organ donation. Although I am in the very beginning of the process, I have had a blood test with a clean bill of health. I am just waiting to see the doctor to get my blood type so I can be matched. I am hoping that the fine people at Humans of San Quentin can help me get the word out so I can find a match. I would like to help someone in the Bay Area, but that’s not a must. So I guess I will have to wait to hear from the doctor here and then when I find out, I’ll let you know if you’re willing to help. Thank you and God bless.
Sincerely,
Tyler
