LOCAL NEWS

Teen dies after dirt bike crash, donates lung to child

Apr 25, 2022, 11:28 AM | Updated: Jun 19, 2024, 1:48 pm

Photo taken from GoFundMe...

Photo taken from GoFundMe

ST. GEORGE, Utah— A family is taking solace in the “selfless service” of organ donation, after their teen passed away following a dirt biking crash.

14-year-old Champ Salley passed away three weeks after he was thrown from his MX dirt bike, sustaining severe head trauma and a compressed spine fracture.

Salley was taken to Primary Children’s Hospital where he dealt with swelling of the brain, compressed spine, collapsed lung and pneumonia.

According to a Facebook post from his grandma, Susan Salley, it said, “We have witnessed many miracles which allowed us to communicate with him for several days. He was awake, could nod his head, move his hands and feet, and even shrug his shoulders answering purposeful questions. Then a week ago it all came crashing down. He had an episode of a severe storming in his brain coupled by a small stroke. He went in for emergency surgery. This included removing a portion of the rear of the skull to relieve the pressures in his brain.”

Following this emergency surgery, Champ Salley’s condition worsened and an MRI revealed his brain stem was beyond repair with “no hope of survival without life support.”

Champ Salley was taken off of life support Saturday.

Susan Salley’s post stated, “There is a silver lining to this story. You might call it one more miracle. Just a month ago when Champ got his learner’s permit to drive “he” checked the box to be an organ donor! This made this decision easier for his parents. One last act of selfless service by all of them. At 9 pm last night, with the transplant teams and recipients in place, Champ was taken off of life support. He passed quickly surrounded by his parents and step parents.

What a wonderful miracle for one other family in another state that we were made aware of. They have been waiting for a lung transplant for their child. The doctors were surprised that Champ was a rare perfect match for that child which made their miracle possible! We know that his organs will help many live, or have a better life.”
Susan Salley explained the parents’ hopes to connect with the recipients’ families in the future, along with her gratitude for what she called “miracles” over the past three weeks that allowed her family to communicate with Champ before his passing.
“We pray that the donor recipients will live up to the high standard that Champ set to ‘Live Like a Champ’.”
A GoFundMe for the teen’s family can be found here*.

*KSL TV does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.

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Teen dies after dirt bike crash, donates lung to child