Jacob "Jake" Hess's Story

Jacob "Jake" Hess was 22 years old when he gave his life serving in Afghanistan. But before he deployed, he gave something else — his bone marrow to a stranger fighting for her life 3,000 miles away.

A Life of Service

Jake was born February 5, 1991, in San Diego to Keirsten Lyons and Michael Hess. Growing up in a military family, he moved 17 times in 20 years. A long stay in Okinawa shaped him deeply — he fell in love with Japanese language, culture, and the friendships he built there.

After graduating from North Central High School in Spokane in 2009, Jake enlisted in the Marine Corps in October 2010 at age 19. He married his high school sweetheart, Bridget Ramirez — also a Marine — within a week of their boot camp graduations.

The Match

Jake had been a blood and platelet donor since he was young. At 18, he joined the bone marrow registry.

In 2012, he got the call. He was a 100% match for Crystal Osha, a mother in Orlando, Florida, who had become seriously ill in 2010 and was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). KXLY News reported that she had been given only a 10% chance of survival.

Before deploying to Afghanistan, Jake completed a peripheral blood stem cell donation. His cells traveled across the country to save a woman he had never met.

The Ultimate Sacrifice

When Bridget's unit came up for deployment to Afghanistan, Jake volunteered to go with her. According to his memorial program, "He wouldn't send his wife somewhere he wasn't willing to go."

Sergeant Jacob Hess died on January 1, 2014, while supporting military operations in Helmand province. He was serving in Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 26. He was 22 years old.

On January 13, 2014, the day of his memorial service, Governor Jay Inslee ordered the flags at every Washington state agency facility lowered to half-staff in his memory, and invited communities and businesses across the state to join.

A Living Legacy

Crystal Osha survived. She is now cancer-free for over 13 years.

In August 2014, Crystal met Jake's parents, Keirsten and Michael, for the first time.

"Jacob has changed my life," Crystal said. "To go from 10-percent chance of survival to someone else's bone marrow growing inside of you. A young man, a very strong, young man fighting inside of me."

For Keirsten, meeting her son's recipient brought healing amid grief.

"That act gave life to their family, and now, their family is restoring hope to ours," she said.

Today, Crystal and Keirsten talk or text most days. Jake's gift created a bond between two families that will last a lifetime.

Continuing His Mission

Every winter, around Jake's February 5 birthday, his family hosts a drive in his honor at Vitalant's blood donation center in Spokane (formerly the Inland Northwest Blood Center). It welcomes blood, platelet and bone marrow donors. The first drive was held on his birthday in 2014, five weeks after his death. KXLY reports that the drive collects about 35 units of blood a year on average, enough to help roughly 100 people in the region.

Keirsten now serves as director of the Washington State Fallen Heroes Project, honoring the nearly 400 military members from Washington who have died since 9/11. Jake's banner is among them, listing both Okinawa and Spokane as his hometowns.

His mother remembers him this way: "He had this quiet strength. People wanted to follow him. He had friends from every walk of life."