‘Living on.’ Tri-Cities mom’s COVID scare renews memories of her lost son’s last gift

Mikhaill Stewart had two major loves after his family — hockey and his Harley.

Both had long been a part of his life.

Mike even set his mom up with his high school hockey coach, whom she later married.

And many in Mike’s family were motorcyclists, including his dad and brother.

Towering at 6’4, Stewart easily handled his Harley-Davidson. When stationed in Bremerton during his Navy stint, he’d often ride over the pass on weekends to visit the Tri-Cities.

“He would say to us that he loved to ride his bike and if he had to die that would be the best way to go,” said his mom, Sue Bergin of Benton City.

The night Stewart died in November 2018, he was riding to work for his first night shift at the Hanford site.

He had recently completed six months of training for Mission Support Alliance and would be working solo. At the time, Bergin was working for Washington River Protection Solutions and her office was across the street from her son’s.

But Stewart never made it to work that night.

His motorcycle hit a deer about 6:15 p.m. — near where the public road passes the Energy Northwest nuclear power plant north of Richland.

He was just 28 with many years ahead of him — and leaving many lives behind.

He was married to a woman he’d fallen in love with immediately and married two months later. And they were raising a 5-year-old daughter and 2-year-son son.

Then it was over.

His brain stem was crushed when the motorcycle landed on him.

Bergin remembers he didn’t appear in the hospital to be that hurt. “He didn’t look all that different,” she said.

Still the invisible injuries were “catastrophic,” the doctor told Bergin and her daughter-in-law, Kylie.

Without hesitation, Kylie told the medical team that her husband needed to be an organ donor.

Bergin said even in such a heart-shattering moment, Kylie acted just as Mike wanted.

Life Center Northwest in Spokane swooped in immediately, Bergin said, adding that they never left the family’s side even as he was removed from the ventilator.

“I don’t think people understand how invaluable (organ donation) is,” Bergin said

COVID effects

Then, last month, after finally being out of the fog of losing her son and enjoying life with her grandchildren she was forced to contend with the face of death again.

“I finally felt like fog was clearing — I could finally see he was living on in other people,” Bergin said.

Stewart had been honored in the Rose Parade in Pasadena in 2019. Bergin and Stewart’s wife Kylie attended the Gift of Life award event by the Washington’s governor’s office.

Bergin said she was able to talk to a man who received his liver and learned through letters about other recipients of his organs, corneas and even skin.

But then on March 10, Bergin’s husband, Kevin, had to rush her from their Benton City home to urgent care in Richland.

They wouldn’t see each other again for nine days. She had COVID, as did her husband.

While Kevin Bergin remained in isolation at home, Susan Bergin was admitted to Kadlec Regional Medical Center. Within two days she was transferred into intensive care.

She developed cardiac issues and believed she may die in the hospital before ever getting to go home.

“What if the only thing that could have saved me was a heart?” she remembered worrying about at the time.

She remained in critical care for seven days and wasn’t released until the end of March, and is still recovering from the lasting effects to her heart.

She realized the sad coincidence in recovering from COVID-19 during National Donate Life Month. It’s observed each April to encourage people to register as organ donors.

“I want to help educate people on how important it is down to a single nerve,” she told the Herald.

One woman regained mobility in her arm because of her son’s nerves.

Two people regained their sight through his corneas.

And another received his liver.

“It was on my heart to take a stand for all the other people who still are here,” his mother said. “Instead of being in a dark hole of heartache I want to help bring them to the place where they see life.”