A smart, energetic, beautiful and headstrong young mother, Carissa Dawn Foushee discussed her wish to be an organ donor with her mother, Cathy Mattingly, during the summer of 2009. Just months later, Carissa was bringing her two children, Rance and Adie, to Cathy's home after a recent snow fall. She hit a slick spot on the road, lost control of her vehicle and hit a large truck head on. Rance and Adie were killed instantly and Carissa was declared brain dead the next day. As an organ donor, Carissa saved three lives. Cathy has since met Carissa's heart and kidney recipients. "When I heard Carissa's heart beating life into a once-dying woman, a sense of warmth wrapped around me," recalled Cathy. "All my hate, sorrow, grief and pain left my body. I was at peace."

Carissa's Story

A smart, energetic, beautiful and head strong young mother, Carissa Dawn Foushee discussed organ donation with her mother, Cathy Mattingly, during the summer of 2009. She asked Cathy why she wasn't an organ donor and said, "Mom, why do you want to keep something you don't need?"

Just months later in December 2009, Carissa was bringing her two children, Rance and Adie, to Cathy's home after a recent snow fall. She hit a slick spot on the road, lost control of her vehicle and hit a large truck head on. Rance and Adie were killed instantly, but Carissa survived. The next day, Cathy was told Carissa was brain dead. In that moment, her words of donation echoed back. As an organ donor Carissa saved three lives. She was only 33.

Cathy has met Carissa's heart and kidney recipients. "Meeting the recipients was an overwhelming and beautiful experience," she said. "When I heard Carissa's heart beating life into a once-dying woman, a sense of warmth wrapped around me from the top of my head all the way to my toes. All my hate, sorrow, grief and pain left my body. I was at peace."

Since those meetings, Cathy has become a Donate Life Ambassador and a news story about her experience won an Emmy. "My volunteer work through KODA has been absolutely the best healing I could have," she affirmed. "I want to let others know that life doesn't have to stop at the gravesite; loved ones can live on through organ donation. I feel that Carissa, Rance and Adie are on their own journey and in time, our roads will meet and we will be together again."