Robert Boggs , Staff Writer Tyler Paper

Alyndada Fender remembers playing dominoes with her daughter and her friends the night she was killed in a car accident outside Wal-Mart.

At 16, Heidi was at the age that most teenagers don't want their parents
around. But that didn't stop the competitive, quick-witted cheerleader from
inviting her mom to play.

At 16, Heidi was young to be saving lives. But that didn't stop her from
donating her organs so others could have a second chance at life.
"I knew it was a divine moment," Mrs. Fender said Sunday during a reception
following a ceremony to honor organ donors and their families and
recipients.

More than 100 people attended the "Celebration of Giving and Living"
ceremony at the Tyler Woman's Building. The Southwest Transplant Alliance
sponsored the event.

The event was intended to raise awareness of the need for organ donations as
part of National Organ Donor Awareness Month. But event organizers said that
wasn't the only reason.

"This is more than about awareness for us, because we've had the privilege
of meeting these people," said STA President and CEO Jim Cutler. "We honor
them because of the important part they had in your life, and because at the
end of their life, they cared for others.

"All of these people who gave these final gifts are heroes to us at
Southwest Transplant Alliance," Cutler said.

On Sunday, Mrs. Fender and her husband, Richard, got a chance to meet two of the recipients of Heidi's organs, two men who had inherited her heart and
liver. For them, the experience was a reaffirmation of their daughter's
life.

"It was just so touching," Mrs. Fender said. "It helps me see that it wasn't
a waste. That was our prayer at the time, that nothing would be wasted."

The Fenders were one of two donor families given the chance Sunday to meet
recipients of their loved ones' organs. The Peden family also met with two
people who received kidneys after 15-year-old Patty Peden died in an October
car accident.

"It's kind of hard, but it's kind of rewarding," said Patty's aunt, Joyce
Young, who asked the recipients to light a candle each year on Patty's
birthday. "They were very good people, very compassionate. It makes you feel
a little bit better."

The recipients were also grateful for the chance to meet the donors'
families. "Feels great - it feels great," said A.C. Nelson, who received one of
Patty's kidneys.

As Ms. Young approached, she told Nelson she was glad he was doing so well.
"That just says it all," Nelson said.

The ceremony also recognized 17 families who had donated organs for the
first time. At the end of the ceremony, participants released balloons to honor the memories of their loved ones. Troy Brown, STA's regional coordinator, also
released butterflies, to the applause of attendees.

Last year, nearly 27,000 people in the United States received organ
transplants, according to data from the Southwest Transplant Alliance.
Although donations were up about 11 percent nationally in 2004, Tyler's
increase outpaced the average. Tyler saw an increase of 58 percent in 2003
and another 26 percent in 2004, the alliance's Pam Silvestri said.

That's good news for recipients, but Mrs. Fender knows her daughter would
also be happy.

"We know wherever she is, she is cheering the recipients on," she said.