Carmen Lee Wilber was an incredible little girl from day one. Carmen, in contrast to her somewhat reserved older brother, was amazingly outgoing. She would happily interact with just about anyone who engaged her. Some family friends accurately coined the phrase "sweet, spunky, beautiful" to describe her.

Carmen and her brother enjoyed dressing up in a variety of costumes, such as characters from “Star Wars” or “Toy Story,” and Carmen loved to dress up in all of her princess outfits. Carmen also enjoyed drawing and coloring and, from time to time, we still find little notepads with her artwork inside. It’s truly like finding hidden treasure.

While Carmen enjoyed the usual summer activities such as playing on the swing set and swimming in the pool, Disneyworld was truly special for her. We’ll never forget her quote during her picture with Goofy, when she exclaimed, “Goofy, you’re goofy!” Living in Michigan, she loved winter as well – especially snowmobiling, where she joined the family on frequent 100-plus mile rides.

“Until the August 2008 automobile accident that caused Carmen’s death, our family really had never considered organ donation or the impact that donating could make,” said her father Frank. Carmen’s grandmother donated bone marrow that was crucial in saving the life of another family member, so the family was already aware of someone who lived through the generosity of another.

“After struggling to grasp that our little angel was not going to survive the injuries that she sustained, our family decided that Carmen could be a super hero through donating her organs to others,” recalled Frank. “We’ve received letters from some of the recipients that remind us of the importance of her donation. While we wish that we would have never had to confront this tragedy, the donation of her organs gave our entire family the ability to know that others are living because of the generosity of our daughter.”