Autumn Toelle-Jackson

Autumn lives in eastern Oregon where she works full time and raises her two sons, Cody and Wade, with her husband Kyle. Autumn is not a stranger to loss, having been widowed at 31. While she knew about organ donation, it wasn’t until weeks later that she realized she should’ve asked if her husband could have been an organ or tissue donor. When her family tragically lost their 3-month-old daughter Rylee Marie, organ donation was in the forefront of their minds, and Rylee was able to donate her heart, liver, and kidneys. The experience inspired Autumn to start a website with resources for those who are grieving, GrowingwithGrief.com, write her award-winning memoir “Boldly into the Darkness: Living with Loss, Growing with Grief & Holding onto Happiness” and become an advocate for organ donation.

Autumn received her MS in Rangeland Management from Colorado State University and her undergraduate degree in Animal Science from the University of Idaho.