I've been a part of this OS family for many years. I wanted to share that on Wednesday night - on his way to church for youth group - that our son, Jaret Harshman (who was to turn 16 on Dec. 28) was killed. He was with 2 of his best friends - both of them survived, one walked away without injuries, the other with injuries that will take several months to recover from.
I am the minister of the church - and this has hit us terribly hard. Jaret was a special kid, and the hole he left will be missed deeply.
I would ask that if you comment here, please do not make any negative remarks or jump to any conclusions. This was a tragic accident - and nothing more. We do not understand it - and I don't want to turn this into a debate about faith or the existence of God, because that's the furthest thing from our minds.
I just share it here because this is another part of my extended relationships. I also ask that you not send private messages. We've been overwhelmed with thousands of notes that it will take me forever to reply to. It's just overwhelming.
If you want to see the coverage of this - it can be found on twitter - search "Jaret Harshman" and you'll start to see the details. Somehow, our 15 year old son made such an impact on so many lives, that he's become a huge story in the greater tampa, fl area - we've not sought out interviews, and are embarrased by this attention, but we've been thrust into this and are trying to share the story of our son that we deeply love. His purpose is unfolding before our very eyes, I believe...
He donated his organs, and we received word last night from the family who received his kidneys. All I could do was cry... Joy and pain mixed, but our son will live through others. this man waited 6 years for a kidney match, and it took our son's death to give his family a new life.
you can look me up on Facebook - Mike Harshman. The stories will then unfold from there.
Here's a link to a couple things - heartbreaking, but I'm humbled that his story is touching so many lives.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/publics...-crash/2257222
http://wfla.com/2015/12/11/peers-rem...d-in-accident/
http://www.abcactionnews.com/news/we...illed-in-crash
There's more I could say - but his story unfolds in so many ways that it's too much to share. Thank you....