Holly Hacker , The Dallas Morning News

More than 600 people celebrate lives saved, remember those lost.

In death, 2-year-old Alan Brown Jr. gave life to another child. And on Saturday, their mothers met for the first time.

Alan's mother, April Walton, and Pamela Cobb embraced. Then Ms. Cobb smiled down at her 4-year-old daughter. "This is Nataleigh," she said.
"I'm glad to meet you, Nataleigh," said Ms. Walton, of Lancaster.

Nataleigh received Alan's liver two years ago. Without the organ transplant,
her parents say, Nataleigh would not be alive.The meeting was one of dozens of such encounters Saturday at the 14th annual Celebration of Giving and Living, sponsored by the Southwest Transplant Alliance. Organ recipients, donors and families - more than 600 people altogether - met at the Texas Discovery Gardens at Fair Park.

Alan died in June 2003. He was on a field trip with his day care center and
was left in a locked van while the temperature outside climbed to 100
degrees. His liver went to Nataleigh, who had a rare disease called Alagille
syndrome.

Nataleigh's father, Jeffrey Cobb, remembers watching the story about Alan on
the news. He thought, "How awful."

Shortly after, the Cobbs got a call, and they rushed to Children's Medical
Center Dallas.

"I was thinking about the family the whole time, wondering if they were at
the hospital, too. We were praying for the family," Mr. Cobb said, referring
to Alan's loved ones.

The Cobbs, of Frisco, said they wanted to meet the family of the 2-year-old
boy who saved their daughter's life. Only recently, however, were Alan's
parents ready for that.

"I can't really put it into words," Alan Brown Sr. said. "I see her
[Nataleigh] and I'm thankful that he could give life to another person."
"It's just amazing to see him living on through her and knowing that he was
able to help," Ms. Walton said.

Nickey Jones, 39, received a kidney and the pancreas of Nathan LaFavre, who
died in a go-kart accident three years ago at age 14.

"I have two beautiful daughters, and I can't imagine losing one of them,"
Mr. Jones said. He said he wanted to meet Nathan's family to tell them how
thankful he is.

Nathan's heart and lungs saved two other lives. All three recipients met
Nathan's mom and family Saturday.

Mr. Jones, of Dublin, Texas, said his friends and family have learned
something from his illness and transplant.

"Through my experience, they're all donors now," he said.
The Southwest Transplant Alliance is a nonprofit organ and tissue donor
program that serves hospitals and patients through about half of Texas. For
information on becoming an organ donor, call the alliance at 214-522-0255 or
1-800-788-8058, or go online to www.organ.org.

Also online more than 87,000 people are waiting for organ transplants in the U.S. Of those, almost 6,000 live in Texas. The biggest need is for kidneys,
especially among minorities.

More than 75 people receive transplants each day in the U.S. An average of 17 people die every day because the organs they need aren't available in time..