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Sep 20, 2009 10:50 pm US/Central
Organ Donation Reunion: A Life Taken, 4 Saved
PRIOR LAKE, Minn. (WCCO) ―
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Ragan Durrenberger was 24 years old when he was shot and killed outside of what was then South Beach nightclub. He donated his organs and as a result four people lived.
CBS
A mother who lost her son to gunfire at a Minneapolis night club more than a decade ago celebrated his life on Sunday with those he helped save.
Ragan Durrenberger was 24 years old when he was shot and killed outside of what was then South Beach nightclub. He donated his organs and as a result four people lived.
On the 11th anniversary of his death, Ragan's mother met the woman who received one of his kidneys. It was a family reunion of sorts. The man who received Ragan's other kidney was also on hand to remember the young man who gave him his life back.
"Your son gave me the gift of life," said Michelle Ash.
Ash says life was a struggle for the 5 years she had to wait for a kidney transplant.
"My kids were really little and I got really sick a lot and my parents had to take care of my kids sometimes, take them," said Ash.
Now her life is full and she says she's glad to finally meet the woman who helped engineer this newest chapter in her life.
"Since I've met her now I do feel a special connection," said Ash.
Becky Durrenberger said her son was a special young man full of life, love and laughter.
"He was kind of the prankster. And he really liked to make people laugh," said Becky Durrenberger.
Although it's been 11 years since Ragan was shot outside South Beach Nightclub in Minneapolis, she feels he lives on in the people whose lives he helped save.
"They're actually become a part of my family. It's still a part of Ragan. I made those kidneys and I told Mark to take good care of it," said Durrenberger.
Mark Abrahamson also got a kidney from Ragan. At least once a year he visits a tree and bench in Indian Ridge Park in Prior Lake that is dedicated to Ragan. Abrahamson says its so he never forgets how fortunate he is.
Fewer than 10 percent of donor families ever connect with the recipients of their loved one's gifts and even fewer ever meet.
This extended family says connecting with one another has helped them deal with all they have been through.
According to Donate Life Minnesota, one person can save up to 60 lives through organ and tissue donation. There are more than 100,000 people waiting for a life-saving organ transplant, including more than 2700 in the Upper Midwest.
The Durrenbergers keep Ragan's memory alive by continuing to let people know how organ donation can have a positive impact on all involved.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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