Two months ago today, Thomas Coady died in a motorcycle accident when he collided with a pickup truck at the intersection of Northwest Eighth Avenue and 34th Street.
To celebrate his life and the lives he saved throughout the years, his mother Maria Coady, a UF education associate professor, is bringing family and friends together to participate in the Five Points of Life 5k run on Feb. 14.
When he was 16, Thomas Coady came home with a consent form that would allow him to donate blood.
Ever since, he was an avid donor. In college, the 22-year-old UF biology senior also donated plasma, finding the process of blood filtering interesting.
Unable to donate herself, Maria Coady said her son would donate blood on her behalf as a Mother’s Day gift.
“I didn’t want him to spend money on me since he was a student, so he would go and donate in my name as a gift to me,” Maria Coady said.
Five Points of Life is a foundation based on the five ways to share life: donation of blood, apheresis, marrow, cord blood and organ and tissue. The 5k was developed out of the marathon put on annually by LifeSouth Community Blood Centers.
The 5k has no formal team sign-up process, but Five Points of Life program coordinator Elli Miles said many loved ones come together to run for a cause.
“While we do not have a team option for the 5k, many groups have participated by meeting on race day and walking or running together,” Miles said.
With the plan to put a team together, Maria Coady worked to raise money for Five Points of Life. With the help of extended family, she met her goal of $500 on Tuesday.
So far, the team consists of Maria Coady; her husband, Thomas; her 19-year-old daughter, Rachel, a student at Flagler; and stepchildren Austin, 13, and Emily, 10. Other friends and family from the community and UF are expected to participate as well, Maria Coady said.
Maria Coady said her son touched many people’s lives.
“Thomas was the last Thomas Joseph Coady in the family,” she said. “He was very deeply loved by everyone.”
[A version of this story ran on page 1 on 2/5/2015 under the headline “5K team formed in memoriam of UF student"]
Correction: The original story listed Rachel Coady as a student at Santa Fe. She is a student at Flagler.
Thomas Coady poses for a photo with his mother, Maria Coady.
