Hit And Run Tragedy Results in Organ DonationsWritten by Alicia Malaby, Anchor-Reporter
Courtney L. Parker
The family of Courtney Parker, 15, of Granite Bay gave the gift of life by donating her organs after she was taken off life support.
Courtney was struck by a hit-and-run driver while walking along Auburn-Folsom Road on Wednesday night. She was declared brain dead and taken off of life support on Friday.
Parker family spokesman, Jim Mullany, told News10 that Courtney's kidneys and pancreas were donated to three Sacramento-area people in need of transplants.
Organ donation is the silver lining to such tragedies, according to Golden State Donor Services. Spokeswoman Tracy Bryan said that one person can save up to eight lives by becoming an organ donor and enhance another 50 lives by becoming a tissue donor.
"What we have found with donor families is that they find great comfort by the fact their loved one has become a donor because they are following their loved one's last wish and something good is coming out of something tragic," said Bryan.
Bryan added that the state's new organ and tissue registry already has 1.5 million people signed up. The Donate Life California Organ & Tissue Donor Registry guarantees that a person's wishes will be carried out when they die.
If you would like to learn more about the registry or sign up to become a donor, click on
http://www.donatelifecalifornia.org/http://www.news10.net/display_story.aspx?storyid=29279PHOTO Courtney L. Parker