When Ryan Benton Evans died in 2008, donating all his organs to strangers in need throughout the Carolinas and beyond, his final gift was profoundly personal for one recipient.
His mother, Delores Benton Evans, received her son's left kidney -- the first-ever organ transplant between a deceased child and parent at UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill.
That fateful twist of life and death and life is being honored today as Benton Evans appears in the Rose Parade in Pasadena, Calif., as one of 24 organ recipients, candidates and donor family members riding on the annual Donate Life float.
Benton Evans, 62, of Durham, was selected after winning a national essay contest about organ transplantation. She now advocates organ transplants as a volunteer for Carolina Donor Services, the procurement agency that serves the Triangle.
Her journey began 30 years ago, when she was diagnosed with kidney disease. Despite the illness, the cause of which was never pinpointed, she had three children, earned a law degree at N.C. Central University and a bachelor's in social work from UNC-Chapel Hill.
But by January 2008, her ailing kidneys failed. She started dialysis and joined 83,000 other Americans on the kidney donation waiting list.
2 matching relatives
Two relatives, including her youngest son, Ryan, tested to see whether they could offer one of their kidneys as a living donor. Both were ruled ineligible. Although Ryan was a match, he was disqualified because he carried the sickle cell trait, which would have stressed his remaining kidney too badly.
Then on Nov. 18, 2008, Ryan died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
"We made the decision to donate his organs not knowing I would be a recipient," Benton Evans said. After the family made Ryan's donation wishes known, everyone suddenly realized that at least one of his kidneys could be directed to Benton Evans.
As all organ transplant patients know, the gifts are salvaged from tragedy, and the good news that an organ matches their need is heavily weighted by that knowledge. For Benton Evans, the emotions were especially charged.
"Every time I get excited about having a second chance at life, I think about Ryan," she said. "He was a precious son. I wouldn't wish [the decision] on anyone."
Benton Evans said she takes solace knowing that so many others have also benefited. She said she's become close friends with the Cary man who received Ryan's lungs and hopes to one day meet more of those who gained Ryan's organs.
And she's become an ardent supporter of transplantation.
Telling her own story
Last July, she saw a flier at the hospital advertising an essay contest for people affected by organ transplant, and wrote her story. Her entry was one of five chosen nationally. The winners were treated to a six-day trip to Pasadena and a ride on the annual Donate Life float. An image of Ryan will also be crafted on the structure, which features a bird rising in flight.
"The reason we're in the parade is to inspire -- basically to inspire Americans to register as organ and tissue donors on their state registries," said Bryan Stewart, spokesman for OneLegacy, the California procurement agency that heads the Donate Life float effort.
Stewart said 86 million Americans are already registered as donors, but so few actually are able to donate because they are sick or suffer other circumstances that rule out eligibility. As a result, more than 105,000 people were on the waiting list for organs as of Thursday, with only 21,425 transplants performed in 2009.
Dawn Hall, director of communications with Carolina Donor Services, said Benton Evans has become one of the agency's best ambassadors - a natural fit as both an organ recipient and donor family member.
"Hers is definitely a unique situation," Hall said, adding that the agency knows of no other deceased child-to-parent donations in its network. "She's an amazing woman."
