Family remembers daughter who gave life after death
Katheryn Yomes was a woman of many talents. She was a caring big sister to four younger siblings and a naturally brilliant scientific mind with a knack for creating handmade crafts and drawings.
However, the one quality that likely best encapsulates Katheryn is her compassion. Even after her death, she has been able to help others by giving the gift of life through an organ donation.
“She was able to donate her heart and her kidneys,” said Katheryn’s mother, Rachel Yomes. “They went to three separate people. She also donated her tissues, which will help people in various ways over the next few years.”
On Nov. 23, 2023, Katheryn Yomes, of Butler, died unexpectedly at the age of 27. Her mother said even though her “heart breaks every day,” she finds solace in knowing her daughter made the decision to be an organ donor.
“I know that if Katie’s life could have been saved by an organ donation, I would have beyond grateful,” Rachel Yomes said. “I know she would have been happy to continue her generous spirit by giving other people the hope of life.”
April is National Donate Life Month, and, according to the Center for Organ Recovery and Education, there are more than 100,000 people who are awaiting an organ transplant in the United States.
In Pennsylvania, The Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network estimates there are around 7,000 people in Pennsylvania awaiting a transplantation.
Katelynn Metz, communications and marketing coordinator for the Pennsylvania chapter of the Center for Organ Recovery and Education, said this month serves as not only a reminder of the importance of being a donor, but to honor those that have donated their organs.
“Any awareness that we can bring about is important,” Metz said. “With more than 100,000 people waiting for an organ transplant and with only about 50% of Pennsylvania residents registered as donors, it’s important we talk about it.”
As a military child, Katheryn Yomes was born in Alaska and lived in Germany, New Mexico, Hawaii, Louisiana and Virginia.
She moved to Butler to join her family after graduating Magna Cum Laude with a degree in chemistry and a minor in physics from Mercyhurst University in 2018.
Katheryn Yomes's gift for mathematics was often the source of an inside family joke.
“We like to joke that out of all the kids, she got all of the math,” her mother said laughing. “None of the other kids could do math because she got it all. I like to joke that she got my math as well because she’s just so smart.”
And while Rachel Yomes said the family’s heart shatters every day as they mourn the daughter and big sister, they are working on putting “the pieces back together.”
The process is aided by the fact they know Katheryn is being honored by her selfless act of helping others, according to Rachel Yomes.
“There’s at least three other families whose heart will not be breaking every day because she gave them a second chance,” she said.
Pennsylvania residents can add an organ donor designation to their existing identifications by visiting the Pennsylvania DMV’s website and accessing the Organ and Tissue Donation page.
