By Michael Hines/Times Record News

April 17, 2006

Clinton Duane Machac's death helped to save one man's life and is set to
enrich even more.

The 17-year-old died in 2004 during a dirt bike accident. His mother, Donna
Machac, found a way to honor his memory. She plans to announce this year's
scholarship winners during Crowell High School's May 26 graduation, an
effort begun two years ago. More than anything, it's a way to keep her son's
memory.

"When he passed away, it wasn't advertised, it wasn't on the news," she
said. "But when you lose someone like him, it's a tragedy."

The award is set to be given to two recipients based on essays. This year
marks an even more special recognition because it includes the youths who
would have been in Clinton's senior class.

"This is his class. These are his friends," she said. "If my son were here,
he'd probably be hollering out the door, 'I'm outta here!' "

Machac said that Clinton was always in motion.

"He just believed in staying physically fit and living life to the fullest,"
she said.

He even made her smile when she was part of the joke.

"He would call me leprechaun and Frodo," Machac said and laughed. "My
daughter is 5-foot-8; C.D. was 6 feet, and my husband is 6-foot-3. All of my
family stood a chin or taller higher than me."

More than anything, Clinton enjoyed making others happy.

"Laughing - it was a never-ending thing," Machac said. "From the time he
walked in the door, he had that grin that said, 'I don't know what I'm
getting away with, but I'm getting away with something.' "

The question of being an organ donor, however, was left unresolved. While
Machac and her daughter are organ donors, her husband is not. For Machac, it
boils down to respect.

"If you're willing to take one, why aren't you willing to give it?" she
said.

How her son saw the opportunity came up just once. Two weeks before his
death.

While renewing his driver's license, Clinton came to the question asking
participants to become organ donors.

"He asked me about that," she said.

But the attendant told the youth that he wasn't legally allowed to fill out
that blank.

"We never got the opportunity to talk about it afterward," Machac said.

Two weeks later, while enjoying some dirt bike riding, Clinton ran into
trouble.

Trying to jump a ramp, he apparently went too high and overshot his landing.
On the way down, he tried to get away from the bike before it crashed. The
resulting impact left him with a collapsed lung, broken femur and bleeding
on his brain.

"By the next night, he had no blood flow to his brain," Machac said,
explaining that C.D. was pronounced dead two days after the accident. "He
looked like he was sleeping."

His organs remained vital, especially in light of his rare A/B blood type.
But the decision to provide those organs was left to his father, Machac
said.

"I told my husband that since C.D. was his only son, the decision was his,"
she said.

In the end, doctors were able to retrieve his pancreas and kidneys. Time
constraints kept his heart from being donated, Machac said. Pete Shauf, 68,
received one of those kidneys after spending a year and a half on a waiting
list. He couldn't find the words to express his gratitude once he and Machac
were able to meet.

"I have been on dialysis for a year and a half, I wanted to know (the
Machacs), but I didn't know what to say. 'Thank you' isn't appropriate," he
said. "I ended up saying 'I love you.' "

Clinton spurred another way to help others after his death when his mother
started helping youths get to college. That first year was simply a matter
of giving the valedictorian and one of C.D.'s friends two checks. This year,
the scholarships will be worth $500 each, and she hopes to eventually
attract enough support to make them full scholarships. There are 17 students
who would have been in Clinton's graduating class. Providing the scholarship
has meant a lot, Machac said.

"This is the way he lives on," she said.