Cook Children's Medical Center and LifeGift Pay Tribute to Organ Donors and Celebrate Lives of Transplant Recipients

Cook Children’s Medical Center and LifeGift Pay Tribute to Organ Donors and Celebrate Lives of Transplant Recipients

--“A Child’s Gift … A True Living Legacy” brings donor families, recipients together for first time --

April 11, 2011, Fort Worth, Texas -- Families from across the state and even as far as Oklahoma gathered Saturday evening at Cook Children’s Medical Center to honor organ donors and the lives they saved during “A Child’s Gift … A True Living Legacy.” Families from the Fort Worth area who made the generous decision to see beyond their own pain and donate their loved one’s organs came face-to-face with the people who received their children’s precious gifts.

Steve and Kelly Johnston of Grapevine were among the donor families who participated in the event. Their son, Dakota, died when he was 9 years old from an aneurysm caused by an ArterioVenous Malformation (AVM) that is generally undetectable. The Johnstons made the unselfish decision to donate his organs and tissue. Dakota’s donation saved the lives of five people.

“Dakota was an inspiration to everyone he met and lived life to the fullest,” said Kelly. “He never met a stranger and brightened the world with his big smile and loving heart. Through the gift of organ donation, he continues to touch others and we’re so blessed we had the opportunity to meet some of these people.”

The Johnstons had the opportunity to meet 8-year-old Joshua Valdez from Houston, Texas who received Joshua’s liver. Joshua had biliary atresia, a condition that is present at birth which blocks the tubes that carry bile from the liver to the gallbladder. Without a transplant, he would have died.

“It was such an unbelievable blessing to meet Dakota’s family,” said Valerie Valdez, Joshua’s mother. “Without their generosity and kindness, I would not have my son. ‘Thank you’ just doesn’t seem to be enough for the gift of life.”

“A Child’s Gift … A True Living Legacy” took place during April, which is National Donate Life Month. The designation spotlights the importance of organ and tissue donation, paying tribute to organ donors and celebrating the lives of transplant recipients.

Across the country, there are more than 110,000 men, women and children waiting for a lifesaving transplant. In Texas, there are nearly 11,000 on the waiting list. Every day, 18 people die due to lack of available organs for transplant.

For more information about LifeGift and donation, visit www.lifegift.org. For more information about Cook Children’s Medical Center, visit www.cookchildrens.org.

About Cook Children’s
Cook Children’s Health Care System is a not-for-profit, nationally recognized pediatric health care organization comprised of seven entities – a Medical Center, Physician Network, Home Health company, Northeast Hospital, Pediatric Surgery Center, Health Plan and Health Foundation. Based in Fort Worth, Texas, the integrated system has more than 60 primary and specialty care offices throughout North Texas. Its service region includes Denton, Hood, Johnson, Parker, Tarrant and Wise counties, with an additional referral area encompassing nearly half the state. Cook Children's traces its roots back to 1918, but throughout its continual change and robust growth, it still embraces an inspiring promise – to improve the health of every child in its region through the prevention and treatment of illness, disease and injury. To live up to this promise, Cook Children’s combines the art of caring with the use of leading technology and extraordinary collaboration to provide exceptional care for every child, every day. For more information, please visit www.cookchildrens.org.

About LifeGift
LifeGift is a not-for-profit organ procurement organization dedicated to recovering organs and tissue for individuals needing transplants in 109 Texas counties in North Texas, Southeast Texas and West Texas. For more information, go to www.lifegift.org or call1-800-633-6562.