Young Woman Saves Sperm of Dying Husband

Dec. 3 -- From the moment they met as young teens, Joshua Garvin said he was going to marry Amanda Elliott, his sweetheart at Heritage High School in Littleton, Colo.

Last year, to the delight of both of their families, the couple — both in their early 20s — married in a fantasy-fulfilling wedding. The newlyweds worked hard, with Josh employed as a mechanic at a local car dealership, and Amanda, who goes by "Mandy," working as a beautician. From the beginning, their shared goal was to start a family. But before those dreams could come true, tragedy struck.

On Oct. 12, Josh Garvin was riding his dirt bike when he crashed just blocks from home. His wife happened to be driving home and was one of the first people at the accident scene.

"I pulled up to the side, and as I got closer, I saw Josh, lying on the ground," Mandy Garvin told Good Morning America. "He had flipped over the handlebars and smacked on his head. He lost control of the bike. I just said, 'babe, don't leave me,' and we waited for the ambulance."

Her husband was conscious and even feisty. He didn't want to go to the hospital, but Mandy insisted. It turned out that Josh, who wasn't wearing his helmet, suffered a severe brain injury.

In the hospital, he slipped in and out of consciousness for about a week. Josh's brain swelled, and while he knew his family, he seemed as though he were unaware of his surroundings, speaking as though he were in church, or out dirt biking.

Left Brain Dead

Mandy Garvin recalled that her husband still looked handsome, even with a swollen head, but then things got worse. Surgery to relieve pressure on Josh's brain didn't go well, and the 24-year-old was left brain-dead. Mandy, just 22, faced a nightmare — saying goodbye to the man she loved.

Before unplugging the ventilator that was keeping Josh alive, Mandy Garvin asked doctors at Swedish Medical Center if her husband's sperm be harvested so that someday she might fulfill their dream of having a baby.