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Last month, Garrett Nicholas, a 21-year-old college junior, was fatally struck by a car near campus in West Chester, Pa.
As his grieving mom navigates her first Mother’s Day without him, she says she’s grateful for the time they had
“I feel like he was on loan to me, and the world had bigger things for him to do,” Traci Hafner tells PEOPLE
When Traci Hafner gave birth to her son, Garrett Nicholas, she called the blue-eyed newborn her “rainbow baby” because she’d previously lost a child. Last month, her heart broke when the 21-year-old college junior was fatally hit by a car near his campus in Pennsylvania.
As the grieving mom navigates her first Mother’s Day without him, she says she’s grateful for the time they shared.
“I just never took anything for granted,” says Hafner, a 52-year-old art director. “And I’m so glad I didn’t, because he just felt like such a gift for me.”
She adds, “I feel like he was on loan to me, and the world had bigger things for him to do.”
From the moment he was born, Hafner says her son had the biggest smile and a jovial personality.
“He wasn’t a person who sought out the attention,” she adds. “It just would come to him naturally, because he just had a warm presence about him.”
The young man walked her down the aisle in 2014 when she married her second husband, Travis Hafner. Together, the couple helped raise Nicholas as well as Travis’ two daughters, Bella and Macy.
Both Nicholas and his stepsister decided to attend West Chester University in West Chester, where he studied business management.
He dreamed of taking over Travis’ construction company one day — but for his mom, her biggest hope was that he’d take the time to enjoy his life.
He did just that at college, where he made several friends and forged even more friendships by joining a fraternity. Nicholas told his mom it was the best decision he’d ever made.
In April, Hafner and her husband made the trip from Walnutport for Parents Weekend. On Saturday, April 11, the couple spent the day with Nicholas, meeting his friends and chatting with their parents.
“Later that day, he told friends it was the best day of his life,” says Hafner. “As a mom, what more can you ask for?”
Traci Hafner (right) with her son.
Credit: Courtesy Traci Hafner
Early the next morning, on Sunday, April 12, Nicholas was crossing South High Street at Union Street when he was hit by a car, West Chester Borough Police told ABC affiliate WPVI. He died at Paoli Hospital several hours later.
The driver pulled over about a block away and has been cooperating with authorities, according to the outlet.
“It’s a terrible situation,” says Hafner. “I feel for the family.”
The West Chester Borough Police Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Garrett Nicholas as a baby.
Credit: Courtesy Traci Hafner
For Hafner, her focus is on honoring her son’s memory — she hopes to popularize #BeLikeGarrett on social media — especially his extraordinary kindness.
That journey began at the hospital, where dozens of Nicholas’ friends and fraternity brothers came to pray at his bedside and later stood in the hall to say one last farewell.
In her son’s last act of generosity, he donated his organs, a decision he’d made when he was 16 years old and first got his license.
With the support of the Gift of Life Donor Program, a nonprofit organization that coordinates organ recovery, his family honored his wishes — and Nicholas was able to save three people by donating both his kidneys and his liver.
As his loved ones navigate their grief, his friends and the local community have rallied around them. A GoFundMe organized by her son’s best friend has garnered almost $100,000 as of Tuesday, May 12.
On Mother’s Day, Hafner’s stoop was covered with flowers and cards, while her phone was inundated with messages from his fraternity brothers, friends and their parents.
“You would’ve thought Garrett was Princess Diana,” she says of the overwhelming love she received.
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Though it’s painful to know that her son is gone, she takes comfort in knowing how much of an impact he’s made during his short time on earth. Even her son’s “beautiful blue eyes” aren’t lost — they were also part of his organ donation.
“That one’s a tough one,” she says, “but it’s also magical in the same vein.”
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