Organ donor families celebrate the lives and legacies of loved ones
By Courtney Hammons Butts
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SHREVEPORT, Louisiana (KTBS) — April is donate life month, and last week Willis Knighton and the Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency honored the selfless heroes at the wall of heroes and flag raising event. That’s where organ donor families celebrated the lives and legacies of their loved ones.
A flag now flies outside of the John C. McDonald Regional Transplant Center as a tribute to donor heroes.
It was raised by the donor family of Brandon Davis, who was just 17 when he died. His mother, Chelette Davis, spoke and shared Brandon’s story.
“Never in a million years would I have thought this would be a part of my family’s story. But life changes sometimes quickly, and we are forced to face the hard truth. Though Brandon never discussed being an organ donor. We decided to give another family a chance at life,” Chelette Davis said.
There was nothing that could be done to save Brandon’s life. However the Davises saw the opportunity to turn their tragic moment into a chance at life for another.
“Though we are in sorrow about losing our beloved Brandon, we rejoice in knowing that god is using Brandon’s donations to be a blessing to another family. We hope to meet that family one day,” Chelette Davis said.
Other family members of donors shared their stories and what it means to know their loved ones are making long after they’re gone. Including Lisa Brosset, whose son, Donald W. Jennings (DJ), was one of the donors from 2024 added to the Willis Knighton wall of heroes.
“I knew he was an organ donor. He and I talked about it. So, we made that decision, and they approached us because they, they saw he was an organ donor. And we were willing to go through it,” Brosset said.
One donor can potentially save up to eight lives. There are over 100,000 men, women, and children on the national transplant waiting list, and 2,000 of those are in Louisiana.
“Organ donation was important to him. It’s important to me. It’s become important to my whole family,” said Brosset, who shared what it’s like knowing her son “lives on” through organ donation. “It’s a wonderful thing knowing that, you know, he saved somebody. I know that he would he would so love that. You know.”
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