The family said they are glad their son will live on.
A 15-year-old is living on through a 9-year-old girl who received his heart after he died earlier this month.
Brian Motelet, 15, of Missouri died suddenly after choking. “We tried to do CPR on him,” Bret Motelet, Brian’s father, said. “The ambulance did resuscitate him, but he didn’t make it. He was on life support and they pronounced him brain dead.”
Meanwhile, 9-year-old Belle Kelm, who suffers from a severely enlarged heart, was anxiously waiting for a new heart in Texas. When Brian passed away, his heart went to Belle.
“Twenty-one hours after I got the call, Belle was taken back for her transplant procedure to begin. [It was] the most surreal amount of time,” Belle’s mother, Kaycee Kelm, said.
Brian’s family is finding comfort in knowing their son is making a difference, even after death.
“It’s part of the only things that are keeping me going….” Brian's mom, Eula, said. “I think organ donation is really important not only for people that need them. It has been important for us as well. It helps with the grieving process.”
The teen’s pancreas also went to a 26-year-old while his kidney and liver went to a 62-year-old woman.
The Motelets hope to meet Belle’s family one day. They have been emailing back and forth since Bella’s transplant.
“I spoke with them on the phone last weekend and I am planning to make it to them next year in Brian’s one year of passing and meet them and give them the chance to hear his heart and hopefully every year after that,” Kelm said.
Eula said the best part of the donation is that she will still “get to experience” her son in the future.
A memorial fund has been started for Motelet by his family.
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