Final Gifts: Brandon von Koschembahr’s Legacy
Anyone who has had the misfortune of losing a loved one will tell you that the months following the funeral or memorial service are among the hardest life experiences. The phone has stopped ringing, the relatives and friends have gone home to live their lives, and you are left with an abundance of grief, unanswered questions and pieces of a puzzle scattered about; one piece always missing. Where do you find the strength to go on?
Yesterday, I chatted with Christopher von Koschembahr, father of Brandon who died tragically in a car accident on November 27, 2009. (see “Brandon’s Final Pay it Forward” ) Memories of Brandon encompass him and bring needed peace. “Sunday is Brandon’s birthday,” says von Koschembahr. Brandon would have been 20 years old. There is no doubt that the community of Ridgefield has been a great source of comfort for the von Koschembahr family.
The Ahrensfeld Family’s generous donation enabled the Ridgefield Fire Department to purchase three jaws of life, replacing the town’s current tools are about 20 years old and have difficulty cutting the metal of the newer model automobiles. “They have installed the new equipment and will soon be inscribing each one with “Brandon #1, 2 and 3,” explains von Koschembahr.
A great source of consolation has come from knowing that in death, Brandon has given others the gift of life. Brandon’s organs have successfully been donated to the New England Organ Bank and have enabled lives to be enriched and saved. A 31 year old woman with Cystic Fibrosis received Brandon’s lungs and, once again, can breathe. Christmas dreams came true when a 17 year old girl, at last received her kidney transplant. von Koschembahr proudly wears a LiveStrong-style bracelet that said “Donate Life, Brandon 11.27.09.
The face book page, In Memory of Brandon von Koschembahr, remains lively, allowing those near and far to share stories, photos and condolences online. It is a page that Brandon’s dad visits often. “I love the stories,” says von Koschembahr.
Consider becoming an organ donor. Visit: www.neob.org to read heartwarming stories of how people around the country are giving others a final gift of life. In Brandon’s memory, Pay it Forward and sign up.
Dance like nobody’s watching. Love like you’ve never been hurt,
Sing like nobody’s listening. and Live like it’s heaven on Earth
- Mark Twain ♥ R.I.P.
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