Ethan Todd Brooks
Donor Hero
“As long as his heart beats, he’s alive,” said Cierrah, sister of donor hero Ethan.
“Ethan was loving, caring, adventurous, free-spirited, funny, dedicated and courageous. He lived his life to the fullest. As his older sister, I once thought Ethan was one of the most annoying people I had ever met, but now I know that he did everything out of love.
Ethan loved spending time with friends, riding motorcycles, and enjoying activities like hunting and fishing. Ethan was a hard worker and, at 19 years old was voted top car salesman at Honda. He then went to work for Campbell Soup, where he was one of the highest-paid employees for his age.
On June 18th, 2023, Ethan was in a motorcycle accident. Doctors said even though Ethan was wearing his helmet, he had severe brain trauma, swelling, bleeding and oxygen was no longer flowing to his brain. They had done all they could to save him.
A SHSC representative approached my dad about the possibility of organ, eye and tissue donation, but my dad pushed them away. In my family, we were always taught to say no to donation, and I knew little about it. Once I learned more, it felt like saying yes was the only sensible option.
I thought to myself, what if there was a child that he could save? What if it was Ethan in need? Wouldn’t we want another family to say yes? We donated Ethan’s corneas, heart, kidneys and liver. Knowing that my worst day became someone’s best day is what keeps me going. We know that Ethan helped save other people’s lives, and although we will always miss him, we are proud of the decision we made.”
