Brian Gleason was always athletic and adventurous. In high school, he played four years of varsity soccer and was the place kicker for the football team. At the University of Iowa, where he earned a degree in civil and environmental engineering, he had a passion for running, biking and lifting weights.

Brian was a true Hawkeye and continued taking classes at the University of Iowa so he could co-captain the Ultimate Frisbee Team, where he served as a mentor and friend to all his teammates. He enjoyed the fast-paced game and the trips they took to compete at their highest level. The summer before he died, he competed in his first sprint triathlon and loved every minute of pushing his body to its limit.

On January 11, 2008, Brian was supposed to leave for Mexico to help install solar powered water purification systems in remote Mexican villages. This project would help give the villagers life-enhancing, clean water. Instead, 25-year-old Brian took a different journey that day, when a car accident on an icy Iowa highway left him with severe and irreversible brain damage. He lost his life, but still helped save people, in a very different way.

Brian donated his heart, kidneys, liver, bones, skin, eyes, and various tissues. His spirit and love of life now lives on through his recipients. Brian’s family continues to honor him and his gift of life by working with the Iowa Donor Network and the My Angel Foundation.