On March 17, 2023, Kim Wormsbaker’s coworker walked back into their Twin Falls, Idaho, office with shock written across her face. She had just passed a devastating motorcycle accident.
“I’m not sure he is going to make it,” she told Kim, 63.
Moments later, Kim’s world fell apart when her husband, Curtis, 59, called to tell her the victim was their 25-year-old son, Dylan.
Dylan, a journeyman plumber and father of four, had been riding through town when a minivan failed to yield and struck him.
“My survival instincts kicked in, and I was just numb,” Kim recalled after receiving that unimaginable call.
During the hour-long drive to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center (EIRMC), Kim and Curtis learned the true extent of their son’s injuries.
“They informed us that my son was fighting for his life,” Curtis remembered. “They needed to cut his skull open to release the pressure if we wanted a chance to save him.”
The couple raced to the hospital, desperate to reach their son. Despite doctors’ efforts, Dylan passed away a week later from a traumatic brain injury. The van’s driver, Afton Gailfus, was later convicted of vehicular manslaughter.
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Honoring Dylan’s Legacy Through Organ Donation
Amid the heartbreak, one fact brought the Wormsbakers a measure of peace — Dylan was a registered organ donor. At 20, he had signed the box on his driver’s license and told his father he wanted to help others “if anything bad ever happened.”
That selfless choice went on to save and improve 102 lives across the country, from teenagers to retirees aged 15 to 77.
“It was enlightening, impactful, and important that we gave him that honor to be that hero,” Kim said. Representatives from the nonprofit Donor Connect guided the family through the process.
More than 100,000 people in the U.S. are currently waiting for organ transplants, and one donor can save up to eight lives through solid organ donation. Dr. Danielle Brandman, medical director of liver transplantation at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, has witnessed that impact firsthand.
“It’s really a gift to see my patients return to the people they were before they became so sick,” Brandman explained. “We truly are changing lives every single day.”
The Wormsbakers later received a letter from a man who had received one of Dylan’s kidneys — a reminder of the vast reach of their son’s generosity. “We’re just amazed at how many lives he changed,” Curtis said.
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Keeping His Memory Alive
Today, the Wormsbakers are raising Dylan’s young son, Sawyer, while his fiancée, Angela Pace, is caring for their son Denver and her two children, Emalyn and Alaric.
To honor Dylan’s memory, Pace brought one of their shared dreams to life by opening an indoor children’s playground called Little World Play in Twin Falls — a project she and Dylan had envisioned together.
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“For the past year, we have been working on opening a fun place where our children and our friends’ children could play and celebrate special events,” she wrote on the company’s website. “With a few obvious setbacks, I’m nervous yet excited to bring the community Little World Play.”
Kim deeply admires Pace’s dedication. “They really knew how to work together,” she said of her son and his fiancée.
The Wormsbakers continue to unite all four children, often visiting Dylan’s grave together.
“They all know their dad is in heaven,” Curtis said softly. “And he’s watching them.”
