On February 10, 2024, my 22-year-old son, Bryson Brown, gave three people the gift of life. Each one was a stranger to him. Each was facing the end of their life. And each had young children who still needed them. My baby, with a heart as big as the world, would have done anything for anyone—and he did. In leaving this world, he opened the door for others to stay.
I often tell people that Bryson’s story is a little different. From the age of 13, he faced mental health challenges, and like so many, he eventually stopped taking his prescribed medication. He turned instead to self-medicating in his teens and then into early adulthood. He spent years in and out of rehab. But when he was clean, he was kind, tenderhearted, and the most loving of my three children.
I lost my mother to cancer just two and a half weeks before we lost Bryson. The night before her celebration of life, I received a phone call that Bryson had an accidental overdose. They life-flighted him to ECU, and he stayed on a ventilator for seven days. When I arrived, they spoke to me about his prognosis, but we continued to wait. Around day four, they introduced me to the team at HonorBridge, North Carolina’s organ donation and tissue recovery organization. I wasn’t sure about it at first—this was my baby. But the more I spoke with them and understood the process, I knew how big my son’s heart was and I knew he’d want to help people if he could.
Like I said, Bryson’s story is a little different, and so was his passing. Instead of being declared brain dead, he became what’s called a “DCD donor,” which stands for Donation after Circulatory Death. His overdose had caused severe, irreversible damage, and we knew recovery wasn’t possible. I spoke with several people from HonorBridge, but the one who I remember the most is Nathan—the man who went with Bryson into the operating room and held his hand when they removed the ventilator. My heart wanted to be there, but I knew I physically couldn’t handle it. Nathan stepped in like family, sending me updates every few minutes so I knew Bryson wasn’t alone. He told me when the ventilator was removed, when the minutes were being counted after his heart stopped, and finally, when it was time. Nathan walked into the room and told us Bryson had passed, that he was at peace, and that the recovery process could begin. You could tell Nathan wasn’t just doing his job—he was there for us. And he’ll never know how much that meant to me.
HonorBridge asked us to share a few words about Bryson, and Nathan read them aloud. It was a beautiful way to honor him and let people see who he truly was beyond his addiction. Even knowing how he passed, no one ever made us feel judged—only loved and cared for. They saw Bryson for who he really was. And to them, it was simple: he was a hero.
When I eventually received letters from two of his recipients, the tears came instantly. The woman who received his liver is a mother of young children, and because of Bryson, she can now run and play with them. One of his kidney recipients, a father in his forties, told me he can finally attend his son’s football games. Knowing the impact Bryson has had not just on his recipients but on their families is powerful beyond words. I know what it means for a parent to be there for their child, to cheer from the sidelines. Now, because of my son, they can be present in those moments. I get to see what Bryson did, and it has brought so much healing. He lives on. And even in my grief, I find myself truly happy for these families.
My son is never forgotten, and it brings me joy to speak about him now. I will continue to tell his story in the hopes of helping one person, because he would want that. I have a special place in my heart for those battling addiction and homelessness, and in his memory, we provide meals on both his birthday and the anniversary of his passing. This year, on his birthday, we volunteered at the Winston-Salem Rescue Mission in his honor.
Though the circumstances of his passing were tragic, I truly believe Bryson came into this world to fulfill a purpose. Organ donation is the greatest gift anyone can give in the midst of grief, and I encourage other families to consider it. Working with HonorBridge was a beautiful experience, and I will forever hold dear the people who stood by my son as he slipped from our arms and into the lives of those who needed him most.
