Brandon’s Story – He is As Giving in Death As He was in Life
When Jesse watched paramedics unloading his son, Brandon from the ambulance, he came to a difficult realization: “We may have to bury this boy.”
Earlier that day, Brandon Curtis, captain of his High School Football team, had given the players a pep talk about unity, strength and brotherhood. Only minutes later, their team resolve was tested in a dramatic way as they worked together to lift an open top Jeep that had rolled in the parking lot, pinning Brandon underneath. Three other players were also injured.
Upon arriving at the hospital, Brandon was placed on life support while his family gathered. But within hours it was confirmed that there was no brain activity, and representatives from donor services were contacted. Brandon had registered himself as an organ and tissue donor the day he received his driver’s license at age 16.
Brandon’s parents, Jesse and Dianne, were crushed. “I don’t know how many times I thought, ‘Why him? Why me? Why now?'” says Dianne. Brandon had lettered in three different sports the previous year as a High School Junior. He was involved. He had great friends. Life was good. And it was incredibly difficult to see all of that come to a screeching halt. On top of that, Jesse and Dianne were faced with a difficult decision: How many of Brandon’s organs and tissues to donate.
“I wasn’t really keen on it,” says Jesse of his son’s decision to donate his organs and tissues. “My first thoughts were, Gosh! You’re cutting my boy up and piecing him out. He’s not a car!” But Jesse remembers thinking about what Brandon would have said if he could have: “I’m not using ’em. If it can help bless somebody else’s life, I’m not using ’em. Go ahead.” They found comfort knowing that Brandon’s wishes had been honored. His mother’s statement to the press, immediately following Brandon’s death, summed it up: “He is as giving in death as he was in life.”
Some peace came for both Jesse and Dianne when a stranger contacted them who had experienced a similar tragedy years before. “She told us to call in the neonatal family support services and get a mold of his hand,” says Dianne. And that tangible reminder of him has become a treasure for us.”
Little by little, the family began to find peace. Dressing Brandon for the viewing was an especially comforting experience. “I expected to be quite emotional, but it was so, so sweet,” Dianne recalls. “That was my last act of service [for Brandon].” As the days turned into weeks, Jesse and Dianne learned more and more about their son and his unique gifts. Family members were aware that Brandon had always had a generous spirit, but not even his parents knew how many times he had quietly reached out to others. One friend recalled watching Brandon give his sweatshirt to a homeless man. Another remembered Brandon leading conditioning runs for the track team and as team members would fall behind, Brandon would jog back to meet them and encourage them not to give up. Little by little, dozens of examples of his private generosity manifested themselves. It was no surprise to anyone who knew him well that Brandon had been willing to donate his organs. This is what Brandon would want—to help someone else.
But the miracle of Brandon’s life didn’t end there. Summoning a special kind of courage, family members, friends, and indeed, an entire community, found a unique way to honor Brandon: They decided to set a world record.
Within days, a group of 10 of Brandon’s closest friends organized themselves into a group they called, “Closer Than Brothers.” Together with help from class officers at their high school, the city council, and many more, they rallied the community with the goal of breaking the world record for the most organ donor registrations at a single venue in one day. Working with the Quest for the Gift of Life Foundation and with the local Organ Donor Coalition, the friends were able to register 765 new organ donors. An additional 526 students from local high schools also registered, bring the unofficial total of new organ and tissue donors who registered in honor of Brandon to 1,291.
In order to recognize the potential impact of this effort, it is important to realize that a single human organ donor can save the lives of nine other human beings and improve the lives of dozens more via tissue donations. Brandon’s major organs were transplanted into seven other individuals, and dozens will benefit from his tissue donations, but when you measure his influence in terms of the potential number of lives saved in the future, the impact of his example is staggering.
During the month of October, the Ryan’s Lion Organization is delighted to honor Brandon and his very courageous family and friends as we continue their efforts to increase awareness of organ and tissue donation. Your purchase of a Ryan’s Lion makes it possible for us to donate a second lion to the Utah Donor Registry, to be given to families of other organ donors, in honor of Brandon Curtis.
To learn more about organ and tissue donation, or to register as an organ donor, visit organdonor.gov. Here, you’ll find information on how to register as an organ and tissue donor in your state. Please don’t wait. It only takes minutes to register. All you need is a little bit of Brandon’s kind of courage.
