At just 30 years old, Ben Latham was larger than life. Smart as a whip and full of curiosity, he was forever tinkering with a new project, perfecting a 3-D print, gaming with friends, or experimenting in the kitchen.
“He was such a creative mind,” said his mother, Bunny. “I called him a ‘disruptive innovator.’ He was always looking for the best way of doing things, both in his personal life and his work life. He was definitely a family man; he wasn’t married, so his family was us. I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s a couple years ago, and he was determined to make my life easier. He would buy me Lego sets so I could work on my fine motor coordination. He would take me grocery shopping and drive me all the way to Maine to see my parents, several times a year. He was a big man, but what was bigger than his physical being was his generosity.”
Ben was an avid gamer, and true to his nature, he always chose to play the type of character that supported and protected others. “The support-type character was always Ben’s go-to,” said his father, Ed Latham. “He loved helping others have fun in games.”
That same instinct to help others extended far beyond the screen. It was Ben’s supportive spirit that inspired his decision to become an organ, eye, and tissue donor.
“When he was in high school, his best friend’s younger brother died of an aneurysm,” said Bunny. “That was Ben’s first experience with organ donation, and as a result of his experience helping that family through it, he decided to be a donor when he got his license. That’s when it became really important to him.”
A mechanically gifted designer, Ben worked under contract with the U.S. Navy for several years before returning to North Carolina in 2022, when he joined his parents in running their two growing businesses — Kona Ice and Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee Truck.
On March 9, 2025, while driving one of their coffee trucks, Ben suffered a heart attack. Despite immediate CPR, he sustained severe brain damage and was unable to recover. Following his passing, Ben’s family chose to honor his selfless decision to give the gift of life through organ, eye, and tissue donation.
“He passed away on March 15, Pi Day, his favorite day,” said Bunny. “The moment someone mentioned organ donation, there was no hesitation. We knew that it was what Ben wanted, and I was hoping for something good to come of it.”
As a nurse practitioner with a background in cardiology, Bunny had witnessed many heart attacks and losses in the emergency room. She was used to being the one offering guidance to families during these times, but when it came time to remove Ben’s ventilator and say goodbye, she found solace in having someone there to support her.
“We didn’t have a chance to talk about my being in healthcare, so the team member from HonorBridge didn’t know that I had sat bedside vigil for other people,” said Bunny. “She put her hand gently on my shoulder and said, ‘it won’t be long now,’ and coached me through the process of watching somebody die. I always felt like there was somebody in my corner. I didn’t feel alone.”
In some ways, Bunny says that her medical background protected her throughout the donation process.
“I could shut myself down when I was in the hospital and think clinically instead of thinking like a mom,” said Bunny. “It was hard, but I knew just enough to know what was going on. When writing to one of his kidney recipients a week ago, I had the realization that Ben’s DNA is in her body. That might freak some people out, but with my medical background, it’s a different way of looking at it. He still exists.”
During Ben’s Celebration of Life, Bunny shared the outcome of Ben’s gifts with everyone in attendance. Ben’s left kidney went to a woman in her sixties with two children and four grandchildren. His right kidney went to a male in his sixties with five children, two grandchildren, and one grandchild on the way. His liver was recovered for research, and his tissue donations may be used in a variety of ways, helping many people survive as well as retain or regain function that would otherwise be lost.
“After I received the outcome letter from HonorBridge, I wrote one letter to each of his recipients,” said Bunny. “I wished them well and let them know that if they ever did want to reach out, I was amenable to that. I received a response from Brenda. She also has a medical background and had lost a son in a car accident, so we have a lot in common. In her letter, she told me that Ben had given her back six hours a day, seven days a week—time she once spent on dialysis. That was pretty powerful. She had moved to North Carolina to care for her four grandchildren but had reached a point where her health no longer allowed it. Now, because of Ben, she can. She promised to do whatever she could to take care of the gift that she was given. It’s nice to know that she respects and honors the magnitude of his gift.”
While Ben was in the hospital, HonorBridge staff printed a strip of his final heartbeats for Bunny. She later turned them into a memorial tattoo, combining the heartbeat pattern with his signature and a 3D-printed blue rose he had designed for her shortly before his passing. While she misses her son every second of every day, she says that donation has helped tremendously in her healing process.
“I think the word that has meant the most to me throughout this whole process is ‘unforgettable,’ she said. “The corporate company that makes the Kona Ice trucks sent us a set of windchimes. It’s a deep, resonant, elegant sounding chime. When I hear it, it makes me think of Ben. When I think of Ben, I think about Brenda. Then I think about other people who can benefit from whatever part of him they need the most. And honestly, sometimes that’s what keeps me going. It’s putting purpose to something that I would never wish on anybody. So, yes, ‘unforgettable.’ That’s my word for Ben.”
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