fbpx

Alexis Johnson

alexis-johnson

On April 8, 2009 at 7:45 am my daughter Alexis was at school there were some kids playing with balls and a 15 year old threw a basketball at her it hit her in the head. I thought she was ok but at about 300pm she started getting a real bad head ache.

What I didn’t know was that the ball caused a brain bleed. I got to the school at about 3:40 pm and she wasn’t really responding to me. We were in the car on the way to the hospital and she started seizing up and said “something something daddy” and those were her last words.

They flew her from troy Beaumont to royal oak Beaumont where they pronounced her brain dead. I made the decision to donate her organs because she was always trying to help people and even at 8 years old that’s what she would have wanted.

She was able to save 6 lives with 8 organs,and improve the quality of life for so many others. Two young children at Royal Oak got her corneas which means they were able to see for Easter. An 8-year-old boy in Maryland got her heart and is doing well.

A 17-year-old girl in Pittsburgh got both lungs. A man in NY got intestines, and liver and both kidneys also went to those who needed them. I miss my beautiful princess but now she is not only my angel but my hero.
I tell this story because even something so harmless as a ball can be so devastating, so be cautious about your children.

Thank you for your time, Rick Johnson

Auburn Hills

Read More Posts
Patrick Pruitt's eyesight was saved by a cornea donor when he was a young child.

Cornea recipient celebrates his gift of sight

I’m here because 32 years ago I received a life-changing gift. Sight is an easy…

Read More
Terri Finch Hamilton's father was a donor-in-spirit at the end of his life.

My dad is a ‘donor in spirit’

I was sitting in my living room, numb with grief, when the phone rang. My…

Read More
Sherry Johnson, with hair pulled back right, sits on her bed in her hospital room while she waits for a second heart and kidney transplant. Her forearm is facing the camera so we can see her tattoo, representing her original heart and her first transplanted heart.

You gave me your heart so I could live my dreams

Sherry Johnson shares her experiences as a heart transplant patient who waits again Sherry Johnson…

Read More
Taneisha Carswell received a kidney transplant from her cousin. Her young nephew later became a donor.

Staff Spotlight: As a donation educator, Taneisha Carswell knows when to talk and when to listen

Gift of Life staffer’s kidney transplant gives her personal perspective If Taneisha Carswell doesn’t convince…

Read More
Chris Kowalski shared his story as a heart transplant recipient at the 2023 Inspiring Champions Symposium.

Volunteer Spotlight: Chris Kowalski speaks while he waits for a life-saving heart transplant

Not much will stop this volunteer from telling his story Chris Kowalski won’t let much…

Read More
Kay Walters, pictured with her daughter, received a heart transplant in 1997.

Transplant Throwback: Kay Walters

Name: Kay Walters Age: 72 Home: Holt Transplant: Heart Why did you need a transplant…

Read More
Scroll to Top