DONATE LIFE ORGAN DONATION AWARENESS - CLEVELAND, OHIO

Friends, family honor Highland teens' lives through organ donation event

BY: Jennifer Karpus, Sun News

Tragedy struck the Highland School District last April when Erin and Andrew Ehrbar, ages 16 and 13, respectively, were killed in a car accident as they were leaving their home en route to school.

But family members and friends have chosen not to dwell on the loss, but to celebrate the lives and generosity of the brother and sister, both of whom were organ donors, by forming a walking/running team for LifeBanc’s 11th annual Gift of Life Walk and Run Aug. 14.

“We really like that it was such a way to honor them and their generosity,” said Laura Ehrbar-DePiero, the teens’ mother. “It’s been a really great focus for us.”

The team, which took parts of both siblings’ names to form “The Drewin Crew,” has almost 200 members. Walkers/runners are family members, co-workers, friends and members of the Highland Middle School track team and Highland High School’s football and girls soccer teams, many of whom were close friends of the teens. Andrew was a member of the middle school track team and Erin was a member of the Lady Hornets varsity girls soccer team.

“Our family is flying in,” Ehrbar-DePiero said prior to Saturday’s event. “They all want to support what we’ve become advocates for.”

Erin and Andrew Erhbar died in a car accident in April. Their family and friends participated in LifeBanc's Walk and Run on Saturday to honor their memories.

Planning and preparing for the walk helped the family cope with their loss and preserve the youths’ memory. The family wanted to raise money for LifeBanc because of all the help the organization has given them.

“It’s a very long process,” Ehrbar-DePiero said about organ donation. “LifeBanc has been incredible.”

Erin donated her tissue and corneas. Andrew donated his heart, kidneys, liver, pancreas and corneas. Andrew went into about 5 a.m. the day following the accident; by 5 p.m. the family received word that the organs had been transplanted into their new bodies.

Although they did not learn the actual identities of the recipients, the family did learn that Andrew’s donations saved three patients, all of whom have since left the hospital.

“Why not help someone else?” Ehrbar-DePiero said. “We have gotten a thank you note from the heart recipient. He’s from New York.”

By the time walk day arrive, The Drewin Crew had already raised more than $9,000 that will go toward organ donation education.

To donate to the Drewin Crew Team, visit lifebanc.donorpages.com/2010GiftofLifeWalkRun/TheDrewinCrew/.