Eleven-year-old Christopher Nixon thrived on the attention he received from his three brothers and parents. He loved nature, sports and friends, and tolerated school. Summers were full of swimming, baseball, golf, camping, and time with his family.

On July 13, 1998, while riding his bike to the neighborhood pool, Christopher was struck by a car and declared brain dead a few hours later. Struggling with their grief, Christopher’s parents and brothers clung to organ donation as a way of giving Christopher the chance to live on in others. Over the years, the Nixon family has cherished the many opportunities they have had to interact with three recipients of Christopher’s organs, Alex, Clint and Larry.

Christopher has made a difference in thousands of other lives as well. A local television news anchor, Karen Hensel, met with the Nixon family at the hospital and produced “Christopher,” a Peabody Award-winning documentary that has touched the lives of high school students throughout the state of Indiana and across the country. It was updated after Christopher’s father, Philip, became an organ and tissue donor in 2007 and continues to be used as an organ donation education film for medical professionals.