By MALENA OGLES

Staff Writer

When Kathy Swartz looks at Rick Sheffield or Todd Long, she notices several family similarities, while neither of them are related, they do share something in common - organs from the same donor, her son.

Sunday afternoon families of organ donors and recipients attended the Southwest Transplant Alliance 15th annual "Celebration of Giving and Living" ceremony at the Tyler Woman's Building.

April is National Organ Donor Awareness Month, and the event was organized to bring attention to the importance of organ donation.

Telling her family's "story of giving" was Kathy Swartz, of Rowlett, who lost her son, Cory, on Nov. 4, 2005, to a brain aneurism. Cory was a 17-year-old high school senior who was six months shy of graduation.

Cory called his mother early one morning from school and told her he didn't feel well and wanted to go home.

"I told him to go ahead and drive home, but he said he couldn't," Ms. Swartz said.

By the time his mother arrived to pick him up, school administrators had called for an ambulance and Cory was on his way to the hospital.

Mrs. Swartz realized quickly it wasn't just a headache - something was seriously wrong. Cory died that evening, and his family was left a cloud of shock and grief.

"My husband asked if we were going to donate Cory's organs. I never expected to have to answer that question," she said.

"Never did I once think he would not be with us."

Within 24 hours, the Swartz family decided their answer was yes.

Since donating her son's organs, the Swartz family has met three of her son's organ recipients.

The first recipient to contact them was Rick Sheffield.

Sheffield, was in the advanced states of Hepatitis C and was in desperate need of a liver transplant. He received a liver on Nov. 5, 2005. It was Cory's.

After recovering from the transplant Sheffield was eager to get in contact with the donor's family.

"Perhaps I was a little too eager. I wasn't thinking of the Swartz family's grief. I was thinking of how thankful I was for a chance at life," Sheffield said.

Sheffield wrote his donor family thanking them - it was four months before they responded.

"It was hard getting the first letter, but nothing can help you as much as seeing that organ recipient living and breathing because of your loved one," Mrs. Swartz said. "I'm glad I met them."

For the first time at Sunday's celebration Mrs. Swartz and her husband met Todd Long, the recipient of Cory's pancreas and liver.

Long, was a diabetic of 23 years when his liver began to fail. The transplant saved his life.

"I don't know of anything that could compare to what was given to me. Thank you," Long said as tears streamed down his face.

In every one of the organ recipients Mrs. Swartz said she is able to see a little bit of her son.

"Todd liked monster trucks, Cory liked monster trucks. Cory loved to spend time on the beach, one of his recipients lives on the beach," his mother said.

Mrs. Swartz and her husband take comfort in knowing that son gave eight people the chance to live.

The Swartz family was one of two donor families given the chance Sunday to meet recipients of their loved ones' organs.

The Wells family, of Winona met with Bob Walters, 28, an agriculture teacher at Overton ISD who was diagnosed with a rare kidney disease and would likely not live past 30.

Walters received the kidney of 19-year-old Steven Wells who died in an ATV accident.

"I think Steven would be happy knowing he was able to help someone," Steven's father Billy Wells said. "He was a giving person."

At the end of the ceremony, participants released balloons blue and green balloons into the air in memory of their loved ones who "gave the gift of life."

"I've been given a second chance at life. I have a long time to sing the praises of organ donors and the loved ones who made the decision," Walters said.