When Megan Ellis heard the wail of an ambulance speeding past her workplace, she didn’t know the person being rushed to the hospital was her husband, Eric.

Megan texted Eric when she got home from work, like she usually did. Since they met almost a decade ago, they’d texted frequently each day, keeping each other updated.

But that day, Eric didn’t reply. He didn’t answer when she said dinner was ready, either, and her calls when straight to voicemail.

“It wasn’t like him,” she said. “I knew something was up.”

Finally, the hospital called.

Around noon on March 15, a 75-year-old driver in a semi-truck reportedly T-boned Eric’s car in the intersection at Highway 41 and Wyoming Avenue.

He was still breathing when first responders arrived, but he’d been intubated by the time Megan reached him.

Seeing him in a hospital bed, she said it was hard to believe he’d been hit by a semi. He had no obvious bruising or broken bones.

But something had struck his head. He was unresponsive to neurological tests. Though Eric’s body was alive, he was gone.

Early Wednesday morning, he was pronounced brain dead.

He was 45 years old.

“It just doesn’t feel real,” Megan said on Friday.

Before the crash, she didn’t realize her husband was an organ donor.

She said she had a moment of selfishness, when she nearly refused to donate Eric’s organs. But deep down, she knew it was what he had wanted.

“That’s just him,” Megan said. “It’s him still helping people, even when he’s not around. He’s still doing what he always did.”

Born and raised in Spokane, Eric never left the Inland Northwest. He lived in Post Falls with Megan, his wife of eight years.

They raised three children together, including Eric’s daughter from his previous marriage, who spent half her time with her biological mom.

An industrial painter by trade, Eric was known for his car painting capabilities. He was also known for his generous nature.

“He’s got close-knit friends,” Megan said. “He’s the type of guy who would drop everything to help someone out.”

Nobody who knew Eric was surprised to learn he was an organ donor.

He remained on life support long enough to find recipients for his organs.

The hospital held a special ceremony to honor Eric last Sunday, as his organs were retrieved, raising a flag that represents organ donors.

Even as the flag went up, Megan said, Eric’s heart was flying toward the stranger to whom it would give new life.

“A whole bunch of him went to a whole bunch of people,” Megan said.

His heart. His lungs. His kidneys. His liver. Even his skin and bones, which will go to burn victims and people in need of dental grafts.

In a month or so, Megan expects to receive a letter informing her of the age, gender and general location of the people who received the gifts of Eric’s body.

After that, it will be up to the recipients to reach out. Megan hopes they will.

“Especially his heart,” she said. “I want to know about that.”

Friends and family have chipped in to cover Eric’s cremation and funeral expenses.

But looking ahead, the future is uncertain. Eric was the breadwinner; he earned about twice what Megan does. She’s assessing the family’s finances, trimming expenses wherever she can.

“I don’t want to fall behind,” she said.

Megan’s grief is fresh. She’s not sleeping and barely eating.

It’s especially painful not to get those daily texts from Eric anymore. In life, they were a frequent reminder of his love for her. Now they’re a reminder of loss.

“He was my best friend,” she said.

Though they’ve put on a brave face, Megan said Eric’s death has hit the children hard.

“They’re very tough kids,” Megan said. “But I think they’re holding it together for me more than anything.”

Above all, Megan said she wants her husband to be remembered for the way he lived.

“He put other people first,” she said. “I’m hoping people can learn from that.”

To contribute to Eric Ellis’ funeral expenses, visit www.gofundme.com/f/the-eric-ellis-funeral-fund.