On Wednesday, Aug. 7, the hallways of Froedtert Pleasant Prairie were crowded with people who watched as a young man in a hospital gurney, with his father at his side holding his hand, was led to the operation room. The group of friends and family said their goodbyes; the young man, 19-year-old Jackson Henderson, had been brain dead since a drowning accident Friday, Aug.
2, and he was an organ donor. Jackson Henderson, 19, helped save four other people with his organ donation after a drowning accident left him brain dead earlier this month. Friends, family and loved ones remembered the young man.
By the next day, four people’s lives would be saved by his donation. The final act of charity was only fitting for Jackson, who friends and family described as a uniquely funny, intelligent, driven and loving person. Jackson was born Sept.
10, 2004, to Lonnie Henderson and Melissa Domerchie. He was a graduate of Tremper High School and was attending UW-Milwaukee for nursing. He would have turned 20 next month.
Lonnie and Melissa, along with childhood friends Enzo A. Aiello, Thomas Bejna, Frank Chianello, and girlfriend Alejandra Anderson, spoke to the Kenosha News after Jackson’s death. Melissa and Lonnie talked about watching their son grow up.
He was something of a character, they said. “He was going to be himself, and he didn’t care what anybody thought about that,” Melissa said. When he was interested in something, his drive could be shocking.
Lonnie talked about the time Jackson became interested in playing pool when he was 16 years old. He took Jackson to the bar to play, and it took off from there. “That kid spent every day playing pool, watching videos, going to pool halls,” Lonnie recalled.
“I’ve played pool for 25 years, after two months I couldn’t beat him.” Jackson was a competitive wrestler for many years, and later took up ji jitsu. But even though he could have gotten a scholarship for wrestling, Lonnie said he always prioritized his education.
“There was a tournament, I told him I would call him in from school. He told me ‘I’m not taking off school ..
. we can go to another tournament some other day.’” Lonnie Henderson said.
“This was when he was 10.” Alejandra Anderson, Jackson’s girlfriend, recalled their first meeting about seven months ago, as nursing assistants at the same hospital. She’d seen him around before, but they’d never really spoken.
One day, she happened to be sent to help on his floor with a patient who’d had a bathroom accident. “I kid you not, our first interaction was cleaning up poop,” Anderson said. “It was the funniest thing, because I remember afterwards, he proceeded to skip out of the room and go, ‘do you think I could to the splits?’” He made an attempt, Alejandra remembered, and she still has the video of Jackson pulling his hamstring.
Jackson Henderson and Alejandra Anderson in an undated photo. After Henderson’s death, Anderson and many others have had to cope with their loss. Before they began dating, Alejandra said Jackson had expressed he had “no interest in marriage, settling down, having kids.
” But afterwards, he underwent a drastic change, and began talking about marriage and starting a family. “It took a lot of people by surprise. It took me by surprise,” Alejandra said.
Jackson’s parents said he was quick to make friends. His friends loved his authenticity. Alejandra Anderson and Jackson Henderson in an undated photo.
After Henderson’s death, Anderson and many others have had to cope with their loss. “Him being himself made you want to be yourself,” Enzo said. “It was a freedom you didn’t get with many people.
” “When you talked to him, it felt like you were his world for the amount of time you were talking ...
He’d always be interested in what you’re saying, no matter how stupid it was, and he’d always have a comment ...
even if he had no idea what he was talking about,” Frank said, laughing. The friends had plenty of stories showing Jackson’s offbeat sense of humor, laughing at the memories. They joked about how endlessly stubborn he could be.
He had a broken finger, they said, that he’d refused to go to the hospital for. “He had this massively crooked finger, like 30 degrees, it just looked so painful, and he’d stick it in your face,” Frank recalled as all three laughed. “It was like, ‘just get it checked out, man.
’” On Aug. 2, Jackson and a friend were fishing at Lake Andrea, and decided to swim out to the floating dock. Jackson got tangled in the weeds, and although his friend and bystanders ultimately managed to rescue him from the water, it was too late.
Melissa, who happened to be nearby, got a phone call about the incident, and arrived in time to see the first responders. Both parents expressed their gratitude to the EMTs and hospital staff for their work and kindness through everything. Responders managed to get a heartbeat, and Jackson was taken to the hospital, but he was already “gone,” Lonnie said.
After the drowning, the hospital’s waiting area was crowded with friends who stayed overnight in support of Jackson. They hung out, sharing stories and playing card games together. Melissa and Lonnie spoke to them as well, and they all swapped stories.
It was uplifting to hear new stories that hadn’t known before, Lonnie said, while sharing stories about Jackson when he was growing up. The fun was some levity during a dark time, Enzo said. “I think he would have wanted everyone to have that moment of relief,” Enzo said.
Jackson’s death left all three friends stunned. “I was devastated, I’ve known him for going on 10 years,” Thomas said. “I don’t know what life is going to be like without him.
I don’t remember what life was like without him ...
what am I going to do without him?” It was “hard to think” since learning the news, Enzo said. “You’re trying to always look for an escape,” he said. “There was some funny stuff that happened at the hospital, and I wondered what his opinion would be.
Now I can never ask.” The friends were constantly doing “stupid” stuff together, including some ill-planned camping trips and what were only described as “shenanigans.” After all that, Frank was in disbelief that the most “innocent” of things could end in such tragedy.
“No one really saw it coming. Just, why?” Frank said. The entire family was left “broken,” Melissa said.
The organ donation was a bit of comfort for his loved ones, knowing some good had come from the tragedy. “Knowing there are parts of him still out there, his heart is beating somewhere ..
. it helps brings some sort of peace,” Melissa said. It was also in character for Jackson, Frank said.
“We always knew he wasn’t going to go without saying his piece,” Frank said. “That’s his legacy ..
. giving the very essence of himself to help other people.” For Alejandra, it was “weird” at first, to think about “a piece of the love of my life living inside other people.
” But the more she thought about it, the more it brought her comfort. “It’s beautiful, because Jackson always really wanted to help people,” Anderson said. Enzo recalled something someone else had said that stuck with him.
“There were people like us in waiting rooms praying for a miracle like we were. Those people actually had that miracle because of him,” Enzo said. Seeing how many people turned out for his honor walk was touching, Melissa said.
“He really deserved that,” Melissa said. “I’m so glad they did that. He was just that kind of person.
I thought it was really beautiful, all the people that came there to see him on his way out.” After reports about Jackson’s drowning came out and people donated to the fundraiser, Melissa and Lonnie said they wanted to tell the public about their son. It was important he wasn’t remembered as “the kid who drowned in Lake Andrea,” they said.
They wanted people to think about him the same way they did. Rather than getting a tombstone, Lonnie and Melissa said they were planning to plant a tree with a plaque. “He wouldn’t want people going to a graveyard and being sad and depressed,” Melissa said.
“He wouldn’t want us all sad here” And instead of a funeral, the parents said they’re planning to hold a celebration of Jackson’s life for friends and family in the near future. It’s what he would have wanted, they agreed. The friends, family and loved ones have all been left to pick up the pieces, with several going to therapy.
Alejandra said she still struggles with doing activities they used to share. But her takeaway, despite the bad days, was to take some advice from Jackson. “Always live in the moment, because you never know what could happen.
Don’t worry so much about things that you can’t change from the past ...
so much so that you’re not focusing on what’s right in front of you,” Alejandra said. Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Reporter {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
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