Described as “quiet, yet strong,” sixteen-year-old Kelly Nachreiner would likely be overwhelmed with the legacy she left behind. Artistic, kind, athletic and fun-loving, Kelly left this world on January 4, 2000 following an auto accident. She had expressed her desire to be an organ donor when applying for her driver’s permit. Kelly’s mother Mary said, “The fact that Kelly was able to be an organ donor was the one ray of sunshine at the darkest time of our lives.”

Five months after Kelly’s death, Gov. Tommy Thompson signed the Kelly Nachreiner Bill into law, requiring all drivers education programs in Wisconsin to give 30 minutes of instruction on organ donation. It was the first bill of its kind in the country. When Gov. Thompson became Secretary of Health and Human Services in 2001, he modeled a national organ donation curriculum for middle and high schools, “Decision Donation,” based on Kelly’s Law.