Remembering 11 News reporter Dustin Cuzick

This week marked three years since we lost our beloved friend and coworker Dustin Cuzick to kidney disease. In honor of his memory, we wanted to share a piece written on the night of his passing on July 11, 2019. We miss Dustin every single day.

In remembrance of Dustin, we ask you all to consider becoming an organ donor. Dustin waited for two years to receive a kidney, which would have saved his life. Click here to learn how to become a donor.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) - Surrounded by friends and family, 11 News reporter Dustin Cuzick passed away on Thursday in Colorado Springs.

Dustin has been part of the 11 News family for almost 10 years. He was a news photographer and then a reporter, and more recently an investigative producer and researcher.

We told you this spring that Dustin had some serious medical problems, and that he needed a kidney transplant.

On Thursday, he lost his long and brave battle.

You know him from his work on TV. At 11 News, we were all lucky enough to know him as a friend. Dustin was kind, intelligent and wickedly funny. He always made us laugh, and our newsroom was always better when he was in it.

Dustin was talented, creative, and in the last year or so especially, he was profoundly courageous.

We will share more with you about our colleague and our friend in the days ahead. We’re all stunned, and we’re sad, and we aren’t able to say much more for now.

Please give a thought or a prayer for Dustin Cuzick. At 36 years old, he touched so many of us. He should have had more time.

Remembering Dustin Cuzick, 1983-2019
It's going to be a year tomorrow since we lost the light of our newsroom. Our KKTV family still grieves the passing of our dear friend Dustin Cuzick at just 36. Battling kidney failure, Dustin sat on top of the transplant list for more than two years but died before receiving that life-saving organ. It's devastating to realize that if Dustin had received an organ in time, he would still be with us. Selfless to the end, that was his final act: donating his own organs to ensure others could live a full life. PLEASE DONATE FOR DUSTIN. Becoming an organ donor takes only minutes...the impact could be a lifetime. https://www.uchealth.org/services/transplant-services/living-donation/
Posted by KKTV 11 News on Friday, July 10, 2020