Michael Robert Brown

Type of Donation:             Organ and cornea donor

Age and Location:             Age 7 weeks – Orlando, FL

Donation Date:                  April 23, 1993

Sponsor:                               Honored by Dignity Memorial Providers of Orlando

MICHAEL’S STORY

Michael Robert Brown, named after his dad, lived seven short weeks. His first smile, on the evening before he stopped breathing, told his parents that he knew he was loved beyond measure. One cannot judge a life on its length but rather on its love. Baby Michael, as he was affectionately called by his Grandma Nancy, lived each of his 51 days to the fullest. He was held, loved and happily fed all day long. On just his third day at the babysitter, after his mom had returned to work at Walt Disney World, Michael stopped breathing as a possible Sudden Infant Death. Michael’s family prayed for a miracle, but he was later declared brain dead.

This tragedy happened during the Donate Life month of April and Michael’s parents had viewed signs in the hospital celebrating heroes who had donated. Michael’s mom also had a cousin, Kenny Stierwalt, who had drowned years earlier and the family had donated his organs. While Baby Michael became an angel in Heaven, his heart, liver and corneas helped several children whose families would not have to face the heartbreak of losing their child. The letter received from OurLegacy, the nonprofit Central Florida organ and tissue recovery organization, hangs proudly in the Brown’s living room since they will never hang Michael’s diploma.

To honor Michael’s all too short life and his legacy of love given through the miracle of organ donation, the Brown family volunteers regularly to share the importance of donation. Michael’s mom, Pat, has been volunteering the past 26 years for OurLegacy as an ambassador and Donate Life speaker. Michael’s younger siblings, Laura, Ryan and Haley, educate their friends about the importance of agreeing to donation through their driver’s license registration. As a circle of life, one of Haley’s best friends, Krystina, received a kidney transplant when they were in first grade.

The miracle of Michael’s organ donation, a gift of love and life at a young age, was truly the “Light In The Darkness” at a very tragic time for the Brown family. Baby Michael lives on through others.