BURNSVILLE, Minnesota — Several years ago, Gary Bougie received a letter that changed his life. About a year after his son, Gary Joe Bougie, had died, a young woman wrote to the family to let them know that donated tissue from Gary Joe helped the athlete rebuild her knee.
"Up until then, I was grieving. It was difficult," Bougie said. "When I got that letter, I went, 'My son was a donor. He's given life and health and hope to other people. What a beautiful thing.'"
Bougie was one of a few donor families that gathered outside Fairview Ridges Hospital in Burnsville on Monday morning for a flag-raising ceremony.
Fairview hospitals started a program last year to honor donors and it's the first year Fairview Ridges invited donor families to watch the flag go up.
A flag with the words "Donate Life" will stay up for the entire month as part of National Donate Life Month.
"We've been doing this for many years, raising the flag to recognize Donate Life Month with LifeSource and Lions Gift of Sight," said Stacy Montgomery, director of patient relations at Fairview Ridges Hospital and director of volunteer services at Fairvew Ridges and Fairview Southdale.
Bougie's son, Gary Joe, died five years ago from complications after a routine gallbladder surgery (at a non-Fairview hospital). The 35-year-old was a husband and father to three children and had recently opened Pizzeria Pezzo in White Bear Lake.
After his death, the family was asked if they would give approval for Gary Joe to become a donor.
"Without thinking I said, 'yes.' As a family, we said, 'yes,' but we were so numb I could've easily also said, 'no,'" Bougie recalled.
Bougie is now an ambassador for LifeSource and encourages people to not leave it up to their grieving families to make the decision.
"Be a donor. Don't leave it up to your family," he said.
Christine Makarios, manager of the orthopedic and spine unit at Fairview Ridges, attended the ceremony to honor her father who was an organ donor. But Makarios is also a tissue recipient.
"I have had three knee surgeries... they had tried my own tissue and it failed so the last one that I had was through a donor and that one was successful. So I've been able to play volleyball and continue sports like I was doing previous to that injury," Makarios said.
According to Montgomery, nationwide there are more than 113,000 people waiting for life-saving organ transplants and nearly 3,000 of those are right here in our community.
"These individuals leave a legacy that brings hope even amid loss," Montgomery told the crowd.
Bougie added, "Donate life has given us hope, dignity, respect and pride on what my son did and that has become his legacy."
You can become a donor by registering at the DMV, online or when purchasing your hunting and fishing license online.
LifeSource also suggests donors share their wishes with family, as well.