Brandon Witt and his stepfather, Thomas Pettit, were cutting firewood when Thomas slipped and fatally fell. Debi, Thomas' wife, together with Brandon, made the decision for Thomas to be a tissue donor. Brandon and one of Thomas' recipients, Joey, formed a friendship on Facebook, and two years later, they met at a Donor Appreciation Ceremony. Looking ahead to riding the Donate Life float side-by-side with Joey, Brandon said, "It's hard to believe that something so amazing can come from a tragedy, but this has blessed Joey and me with the ability not only to share our lives through friendship, but also spread the word to others about becoming a donor. This opportunity has and will continue to change many lives in the future."

Brandon's Story

The day was December 22, 2007. It was an overcast day with a cold front moving in on one of the coldest winters in recent years for Sherman, TX. Brandon Witt and his stepfather, Thomas Pettit, were cutting firewood when Thomas slipped and fatally fell.

The next few hours were a blur for Brandon, "I remember driving to the hospital, but nothing more than that. I could hear family members out in the lobby of Texoma Medical Center gathering as my mother and I sat in the back with Thomas." The doctor walked in and said "I'm very sorry to bother you in a moment like this, but since you made the decision for Thomas to be a donor, time is of the essence." The decision was easy. He was taken to Dallas for the recovery.

In August the next year, Brandon's mother, Debi, received a letter (anonymous at the time) from Mrs. Ianeiro explaining that her son, Joey, had received a donation from Brandon's dad. Thomas' death was still fresh on her mind, so Mrs. Ianeiro left it up to Brandon and Debi to decide if they wanted to contact them. Brandon let it sit for a day or two before looking up Joey on Facebook. After adding him on August 25th, there was a bit of awkwardness as Joey didn't understand why a random person from Texas was adding him as a friend. Joey caught up with Brandon a few days later and the questions began. The boys talked for hours about Thomas, what Joey was doing after surgery and what he planned to do later in life. Brandon and Joey became good friends, keeping up with each other daily. Joey and Brandon both have a strong passion for baseball which gave them common ground on which to base their friendship.

In November 2010, Brandon and Debi were invited to speak at UT Southwestern for their annual Donor Appreciation Ceremony. "It was a great experience to see the people who received transplants. as well as the families of the donors. What I didn't foresee was meeting Joey in person for the very first time." A ton of hours, hard work, and resources were put in by the staff at Transplant Services Center UT Southwestern to host this event, and to bring Joey and his mother in, and give Debit and Brandon the opportunity to sit down and talk face to face with them.

Looking ahead to riding the Donate Life float side-by-side with Joey, Brandon said, "It is hard to believe that something so amazing can come out of a fatal tragedy. But this event has blessed Joey and me with the ability not only to share our lives together through friendship, but also spread the word to others that are curious about becoming a donor, or have never thought about it. This opportunity has and will continue to change many lives in the future."