Meagan Nolasko
Special to the Sun

For Kristine Clemmons, of Lake Isabella, organ donation is not just some vague, abstract concept. She has lived it. Her son, Trevor Frisch, was just three days old when he became an organ donor on April 16, 1998; he was born brain-dead.

When the doctors at Kern Medical Center in Bakersfield told Clemmons that her son would not recover, she made the decision to donate his organs. In the face of such tragedy, Clemmons and her family decided their child would be remembered as one who gave life to others. She vowed that no one would ever forget her son’s name.

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Frisch’s memory continues in the lives of two very healthy little girls and their families. His liver went to a young girl in Utah, and his heart went to 11-day-old Hannah Grinnan in Redlands, Calif. Grinnan was born with the congenital heart disease known as hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS). That same disease had killed her brother, Brien, 14 years earlier.

“Through this death, I have learned that life is too precious to ignore the need for organ donation,” said Clemmons. “We are proud of Trevor and how his life had purpose. I hope his short life inspires others who hear his story to make the right choice about organ donation.”

Frisch was honored alongside 76 organ donors and 24 organ recipients riding on OneLegacy’s “Donate Life” float in the Rose Parade in Pasadena on New Year’s Day. OneLegacy is a nonprofit, federally designated transplant donor network serving 18 million people in seven Southern California counties. As described on its website, their purpose: “In bridging the lives of organ and tissue donors with people facing dire illness, we help create a personal legacy of caring for others.”

In Donate Life’s 2010 Rose Parade float entry, a mythical phoenix soars and New Life Rises to inspire all people to register as organ, eye and tissue donors.

Organ donors like Frisch were memorialized in floragraphs - floral images made of seeds, spices, and other organic material - on the Donate Life float. Dr. Leonard Bailey, the doctor who performed the heart transplant, worked with the Grinnan and Clemmons families decorating Frisch’s floragraph prior to the parade.

Grinnan, now a healthy, active 12-year-old seventh grader who loves to swim and ride bikes, and aspires to be a food critic, rode on this year’s Donate Life float.

The two families met after the young Grinnan’s story aired on CBS in July 1998, which generated more than 100,000 hits to the CBS website for information on how to become an organ donor.

“Our families have stayed connected from the very beginning,” Clemmons said. “We call each other, write letters and send emails. The OneLegacy organizers told us that our case was like no other. We were the only donor/recipient pair at the parade.”

Clemmons said many people have asked her if it was exciting to be in the parade honoring her son. “Really, it was like any other day because our families have been so close over the years,” she said. “It was a way to honor Trevor’s memory. Hannah is doing very well; she still has small scars (from the operation), but she sees them as a daily reminder of how lucky she is.”

There are currently 85 million people signed up as organ donors, but there remains a colossal shortage of organ donations. Clemmons said. “It is important to talk with your family ahead of time about becoming an organ donor. “That way there’s no doubt about what the person wanted,” Clemmons said. “It’s never an easy decision, but I’m living proof of what organ donation is all about.” Do your research, she added.

We are blessed to be able to watch Trevor’s recipients grow up into beautiful healthy and happy girls,” added Clemmons. “His life may have been short-lived, but his purpose is a testimony to the gift of life and the joy that can come from the sorrow.”

To this day, the Grinnans are comforted by the resolve of Clemmons and her family in their decision to have their child be remembered as one who gave life to others. The Grinnan family is forever grateful for this wonderful gift and continue to educate others on the miracle of organ donation.

OneLegacy and Cathy Perfect contributed to this article.