“What were they telling us, there’s no hope,” Lore Pifer said. “I said no right away. I didn’t want anybody taking a part of my son.”

As the family waited while the Geisinger team worked on Sam’s treatment, which included two neurological tests to determine if he would be considered legally brain dead, the Pifers said the Gift of Life coordinators kept a close eye.

“They were right outside on their computers, almost like vultures,” Steve Pifer said. “At one point in time, (a coordinator) came up to us asking for us to talk to them. At least five times they came up. I even avoided them a couple of times when I left the room.”

After Sam failed both neurological tests, he was pronounced dead shortly after 2 p.m. on July 1. The family was given 20 minutes to say good-bye, according to Steve Pifer.

Even as they left the room after paying their last respects, Steve and Lore Pifer said they were approached a final time separately by the Gift of Life coordinators.

“I told them I didn’t want to talk to them,” Steve Pifer said. “I said that I was done here.”

Lore Pifer added, “They wanted to get a statement from me. I told them to leave me alone and said they couldn’t have my son’s body.”

The strenuous moments following Sam’s death have made the family angrier as they look back, according to Steve Pifer.

“I have no idea where the deception stops,” Steve Pifer said. “How do I know we weren’t deceived on his care? Was surgery an option? What’s to stop me from thinking this? I assume not but now knowing how it transpired, I’m sorry, I can’t help but feel that way.”

Who has the choice?

Edward Zych, an attorney in Geisinger’s Legal Services Department, says state law is clear in determining who has the authority in making the final decision whether to go forward with the donation process.

“If a person has designated himself or herself as an organ donor, they have essentially already made the decision,” Zych said. “According to the Pennsylvania State Decedents, Wills and Trusts Statute, a signed donor card is to be treated just as a written will, and the patient’s wishes are to be carried out according to state law after they pass away.”

Hasz said each state is different in its laws stipulating the choice to become a donor. In Pennsylvania, he said 16-year-olds have the first opportunity when they get their driver’s license by checking the permission box. At that time, including 17-year-old drivers, the decision must be witnessed by a parent or guardian and confirmed on another form, according to state law (Pennsylvania Act 102) enacted on Dec. 1, 1994.

The Pifers claim they never consented to Sam’s choice to be an organ honor.

When a person turns 18, it’s their independent decision, according to Hasz, who said the Gift of Life suggests donors to speak with their loved ones about the decision so they’re aware of the choice.