Kathleen Thorson, a mother of four, died after giving birth to her fourth child. Her husband, Jesse, spoke fondly of his wife’s devotion to motherhood, but his wife had a dying wish that saved many lives.

Jesse Thorson was struck by tragedy when his wife, Kathleen, died in 2020 shortly after giving birth to their fourth child. On a GoFundMe page, the husband explained that five days after welcoming their son, his wife suffered severe bleeding in the brain.

She was rushed to the hospital, but her condition only got worse, and Kathleen left her family. The distraught husband wrote, “There aren’t many words to be said except that we love her, and we will miss her with every breath we take. Through all of this hardship, her love, life, and magic are still felt. “

Jesse has always been his wife’s biggest cheerleader. In a blog post, the father of four spoke of the “magic” that his wife embodied. He titled “Sweet as Pie,” and wrote about how much of an amazing mother his wife was.

The husband adored Kathleen’s dedication to motherhood. He remembered how much she wanted to be a mom, and watching her love each of their children was admirable. But Jesse also spoke of the “curse” that haunted many mothers, including his wife.

It was the guilt of feeling like she had to be doing more and comparing herself to other mothers. As the husband wrote, this curse tries to make mothers believe their imperfections do not make them good parents.

Jesse saw his wife go through this rollercoaster but watched her overcome these negative feelings with time. He remembered her dedication to protecting and raising their first son, Danny. Even while pregnant with their second daughter, Grace, she kept on working despite the soreness of her body and the nausea she experienced.

After their daughter arrived, they had their son James, who became a big brother a few years later. When Jesse found out they would be having a fourth child, he did not think he could adore his wife’s strength any more than he already did. Out of all the children, Teddy’s arrival was the most eventful, “He came out hungrier than a month-old piglet,” said the dad.

When his wife passed, Jesse had no idea how he would overcome the sadness he felt, but his memory of Kathleen overcoming countless challenges spurred him on to fight through the misery. He remained grateful for his church community who were there to shower his family with love and prayers. “They have made this time a sacred one,” he wrote.

The heroic mother had one request before dying: to donate her organs to those who needed them to survive. Jesse shared a medallion he received honoring Kathleen’s life and the lives she saved. He added that donating his wife’s organs had given him and his children immense comfort.

Life without Kathleen has not been easy, but Jesse does his best to keep her memory alive. He posted a picture of a pie he had made for his son after he had told him to make one because he was missing his mother.

For the Thorson family, pie-making was a team effort. Kathleen was known as the best pie crust maker, and while Jesse had to face his fear of baking his first pie without her, he was proud he made it to the end of the process and for being able to comfort his son.

Life might have taken a different turn for the father and his family, but he was grateful for the support received. A family photo he shared with his wife and all their four children was filled with heartfelt messages wishing him strength.

Jesse looked back at a poem he wrote for Kathleen, which began with the words, “Today I have everything.” The husband spoke of the life he and his wife were building together, and four kids later, and after a significant loss, Jesse still believed he had everything. “She gave me everything,” he wrote.