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Even in death, child fulfills wish to save lives

Photo provided by Carter family

Austin Carter's parents say the 10-year-old loved to rescue animals and hunt with his father, Rhett Carter.

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By MICHELLE BEARDEN | The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 12, 2009

TAMPA - Austin Carter was just 10, but already he knew what he wanted to be when he grew up.

A firefighter or a soldier, he told his parents. He wanted to save lives and be a hero.

On Sept. 28, 2008, on a sunny Sunday afternoon, that dream died when Austin's motorized go-cart slammed into a concrete pole a mile from his home in Land O' Lakes. After a frantic lift by helicopter to St. Joseph's Hospital and emergency surgery, Austin was declared brain dead the next day.

Dealing with unfathomable grief, his parents were gently asked by hospital officials: Would they consider organ donation?

Natalie and Rhett Carter had briefly talked about donating their own organs years ago. But they had never discussed it with regards to their own three children.

"Losing your child, it's not something you ever want to think about," says Rhett, a plant manager at a Brandon case company. "But you never know how, in a moment's notice, you may have to make that decision."

They thought about it when Austin's life hung in the balance. When all hope was gone, they had two hours to decide.

Girded by their faith, and comforted by some 80-plus family members, friends and church members from First United Methodist of Land O' Lakes, the Carters took their children into a private room to talk. The reaction of Colin, 15, and Brianna, 9, gave them their answer.

Austin shared with everybody, they said. You have to do this, because this is what he would have wanted.

On that day, Austin gave eight organs to recipients. Six people received life-saving transplants, and two others had their vision restored with his corneas.

His mother thinks of the big picture. If each one of those recipients had a family of four, consider all the lives affected by Austin's gift.

"Someone told me that you may have given his heart to the future president of the United States," recalls Natalie, a systems specialist who works at Moffitt Cancer Center. "What I do know is this: You never will understand the why of something this tragic. But this was one way to somehow find a positive light in this horrible thing."

The story isn't over.

The Carters wrote to each recipient, telling them about their joyful son, who loved to rescue animals and hunt with his Daddy. They told them about his lust for life, his energy and his ever-present grin.

Not everyone can handle meeting the family of the organ donor. The gift is a mixed blessing. Their relief is sometimes tempered by guilt that someone had to die so they could live.

That's how Lori Lyons felt. She suffered from polycystic kidney disease, a genetic disorder that plagues several people in her family. Austin's kidney was a perfect match, freeing her from the dialysis machine and allowing her to resume an active, pain-free life.

She and her husband chose to meet the Carters. She wanted to know this amazing couple, whose selfless decision restored her life.

"I loved them the moment I met them," she says. "They're awesome. We have this incredible connection that brings us close together. It's like I have a whole new family."

Lori is a firefighter-paramedic from St. Pete Beach. Though Austin never got the chance to realize his dream, it lives on through Lori. She is like a new person, with enough energy to ride her bike 12 miles a day and work out with fellow firefighters at the station. She goes out on rescue calls and saves lives.

Just what Austin might have done.

"I definitely feel him with me every day. I know how incredibly blessed I am," she says. "Not a day goes by that I don't think of Austin."

He loved chocolate, cupcakes, ice cream and candy – his four favorite food groups, his mother says. Lori never cared much for sweets. But since the transplant, she's had this constant craving for cake. Yes, Austin is truly a part of her.

This weekend, as part of the annual National Donor Sabbath observance, clergy of all faiths will ask members of their churches, synagogues and mosques to consider organ donation. More than 100,000 people across the country are on transplant waiting lists. To make this gift is an act of compassion that could mean the difference between life and death.

The Carters know they made the right choice. It has brought them comfort and peace. Now, in memory of their son, they are committed to the mission of campaigning for this cause.

"I will always long to hold him, to smell his breath, to touch his hair," Natalie says. "But I can't have that. With this, I know he's still alive, his legacy immortal because of what he gave."

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