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Eight-year-old Ollie stood on his toes at the lectern on the steps of the Capitol in Lansing and belted out just one sentence: “Mama Shayna was a hero!”

More than 400 people were with us in June for our annual Check Your Heart Rally and heard that sweet boy who never knew his mother. But Ollie, who was just 1 when Shayna Sturtevant died, knows something pretty special about “Mama Shayna.” She gave so much and helped so many.

We were at the Capitol to celebrate the imminent passage of the Check Your Heart Act in the Senate that week.

Ollie was there with his Grandma Debra Wyant as she spoke to the crowd about Shayna, who died seven years ago of a brain abscess stemming from an ear infection. She was just 21. Shayna not only donated three organs, but she was also Michigan’s first and only hand donor. Minutes before Deb and Ollie spoke, they joined more than 100 donor families, patients on the waiting list, transplant recipients and living donors for a march to the Capitol steps.

I was waiting for them there and it was so moving to watch as they all filed up the stairs and came together all around me. It reminded me of the hundreds of people who depend on us to do our work at the highest level.

I was proud and humbled to be part of it all.

As if Ollie’s words about his mom and the beautiful walk weren’t enough, something special happened after we closed the program. During her time at the lectern, Deb mentioned that Ollie wanted to know more about how his mom helped other people, and she welcomed transplant recipients to talk with her grandson after the program.

I watched later as a man asked Deb if he could speak with Ollie. He sat down and had what appeared to be a serious chat. I could tell by the tears in the eyes of Ollie’s family that what he had to say about how Mama Shayna helped others was perfect.

We can’t bring Ollie’s mother back or fill the void of growing up without his mom. But I hope Ollie will always carry in his heart what an incredible gift Shayna gave and know there is a community of recipients who are thankful for her — and for him.

It felt like Ollie had hundreds of moms and dads embracing him that day.

This is what being an organ and tissue donor does for donor families. It never replaces grief or loss, but it gives them pride and comfort knowing their loved one helped others with their gifts.

I hope we can all think of Ollie as we encourage others to Check Your Heart and sign up on the سجل ميشيغان للمانحين so they can be heroes, just like Mama Shayna.