Lessie Marie Graves Fowler was known for her love of family, her knack for baking, and her unstoppable spirit. Born on March 10, 1942, Lessie lived a long life filled with happiness and heartache—she lost her son to a brain tumor in 2009—but to the surprise of her children, Lessie’s story would take one more unexpected turn.
On Nov. 24, 2023, she would become an organ donor at 81 years old.
After recovering from hip surgery in a rehabilitation center, Lessie was set to celebrate Thanksgiving with her family. Her daughters had even picked out an outfit for her, complete with a new pair of sneakers she adored.
“She thought she was Speedy Gonzalez in those sneakers,” said her daughter Angela Lea, laughing. “She was ready for her Thanksgiving dinner, and even with a little bit of dementia, she still wanted to look cute.”
But the day before Thanksgiving, Lessie suffered a seizure and was taken to UNC Chapel Hill. There, doctors discovered a small, leaking blood vessel. By Thanksgiving, she was slipping away. “She had no activity, but we just talked to her,” said Angela. “I’m thankful we had that time.”
When the topic of organ donation came up, her family was surprised. “Mom was 81. How could she be a donor?” Angela remembered thinking. But after hearing she could help others with her liver, the family agreed to honor her in this unexpected way. “Our brother in Florida said, ‘If she can save someone else’s life, we should do it.’ So, we did.”
Lessie’s donation inspired an Honor Walk through the hospital halls, and both Angela and her sister, Dianne, cherish the handprints and fingerprints created by HonorBridge staff.
“They tried to make it as comforting as possible,” recalled Angela. “Even when we got to the OR they stopped and let us say our goodbyes to her. They read what we wrote before the surgery. It helped ease the pain.”
To her family, Lessie was extraordinary, long before she became a donor. “I thought my mom was special anyway,” Angela said with a smile. “She wasn’t a registered donor, but she would have chosen it if there was nothing else they could do for her. She didn’t need it anymore. She was a brand-new person when she got to Heaven.”
One donor can save and heal up to 75 lives! Register your decision to be an organ, eye, and tissue donor today.
