CHAPEL HILL—On April 16, on what was described as a “perfect Carolina day,” Jason Ray’s legacy was celebrated as the UNC Hospitals Jason Ray Transplant Clinic was officially dedicated.
“Jason’s story was only tragic at the end,” Emmitt Ray, II, Jason’s brother, told the crowd. “In his 21 years, he accomplished more than many of us will in our entire lifetimes.”
In 2007, UNCDE student Jason Ray – who had spent three years as Rameses, the Tar Heels’ mascot -- was with the Carolina men’s basketball team in New Jersey, the site of that year’s NCAA Tournament East Regional finals, when he was struck by a vehicle.