Erika Desiree Schwager lit up the room with her bright brown eyes, her endless energy and her contagious laugh. She was a competition squad cheerleader who loved to dance and express herself through a variety of different music. She loved to perform in plays in auditoriums full of onlookers or before a group of peers. She was also a beautiful artist. Erika used her creative hands to captivate the minds of art enthusiasts with canvas, paper, and clothing. Her artistic tendencies were even evident in the way in which she applied cosmetics, recalled her mother, Bette.

Erika was also industrious. She began to work at Culvers Restaurant at age 14. Her zeal to earn money was not selfish at all. She would invite her friends for frozen custard. In addition, she dabbled in the fashion world. She bought her own clothes and shoes. Moreover, she took a life-changing trip to Ecuador.

On November 20, 2006, the car 16-year-old Erika was in collided with a fire truck. Despite tremendous efforts by firemen, emergency medical technicians, nurses and doctors, she died six days later. Her death gave four others a second chance at life through organ donation.

Erika decided that she would donate her organs after she passed her driving test. “I remember vividly her exact first words when she walked confidently into the house after getting her driver’s license, ‘Look mom! I’m going to be an organ donor!’ After her accident, her father and I facilitated her wish. She was able to donate both of her kidneys, liver, pancreas, bone, tissue, and skin and heart valves,” said Bette.

After her death, Culvers Restaurant held two days of fundraising to honor and remember Erika’s life for the impact she made in the community. “The response was total. In fact, it was unbelievable,” recalled Bette. “It helped us to grieve our loss, strengthen us, and encourage us.

“Overall, Erika modeled her life after her favorite quote: ‘Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.’ She was just 16 years old when she died. She will be remembered by the many lives she touched when she was alive and also in her death.”