A Heartfelt Bond

August 13, 2020:

Heart recipient Tyrone Brisby and his wife, Demetris (Dee), strive to meet with his donor family each August – the month of Kyle’s birthday, but also the month he passed away and became an organ donor.

“The first time we met my donor family was very emotional,” Tyrone said. “I didn’t know what to expect. No one can prepare for the first meeting. We just had to go with it. There was a bond created at the first meeting, and they became extended family.”

Tyrone was diagnosed with congestive heart failure at 49 years old. About 10 years prior, he had experienced a small heart attack and been diagnosed with high blood pressure.

After roughly eight months of testing, Tyrone was listed at Jacksonville’s Mayo Clinic to wait for a heart transplant. He received his heart five weeks later on August 19, 2014.

In Tennessee, Kyle Rodger, 14, had been involved in a car accident. Kyle’s parents, Jeff and Tina, honored his wishes to be an organ donor, and he saved five lives.

“Kyle had the conversation so many people should have stating that if something happened to him, he wanted to be a donor and save lives,” Tyrone said.

Tyrone, Dee, Jeff and Tina have met one another multiple times, alternating meeting locations each year. They have visited one another in Tennessee and Jacksonville, as well as Vermont, where Kyle was born and laid to rest. Kyle’s parents have also met his liver recipient.

Since receiving the heart transplant, Tyrone and Dee have become dedicated ambassadors for LifeQuest Organ Recovery Services, volunteering hundreds of hours of their time educating the public about the life-saving importance of organ donation. They have shared their story with high schools, colleges, churches and health fairs.

Neither Tyrone nor Dee had been registered as organ donors prior to Tyrone receiving his transplant. They had never been educated on the cause, so they hope to better inform others about the impact donation has.

“Once he got sick and someone saved his life, then I understood it,” Dee said. “I can do that for someone else.”

Now, Tyrone and Dee, along with their four children, are registered as organ donors, and their grandson signed up when he was 14.

“I want to keep my donor’s legacy alive and create awareness for the cause,” Tyrone said. “There’s a shortage of organ donors. If something happens, and you can save someone else’s life – why not?”