After loss, Balloonfest bittersweet

Written by | Jason Carmel Davis | Livingston Daily

A recent loss made this year's 27th annual Michigan Challenge Balloonfest a bittersweet event for the Bresett family.

After years of crewing for a number of pilots at the Howell festival, 22-year-old Stephan Bresett in February lost his battle with kidney disease.

"Being there without Stephan was pretty hard," said his mom, Gabriele Bresett.

The Bresetts often helped John and Shawn Raya, who this year piloted a balloon named Fast and Serious. Shawn Raya serves as pilot of the balloon now that his father, John Raya, has given up flying, Gabriele Bresett said.

The Rayas' former balloon, aptly named Father and Son, was retired in Stephan's honor, according to Gabriele Bresett.

"Both families have a deep connection with each other. We care about each other outside of Balloonfest," she said. "We've gone to weddings and funerals with the people we've met at Balloonfest.

"Saturday was a really emotional day. We were all crying. That was an awesome gesture."

The Fowlerville family — Stephan, Gabriele, Stephan's father, Ray Bresett, and sister Melanie Bresett — attended the event for years.

Ray and Gabriele Bresett began crewing for pilots during the show in 1987, according to Gabriele Bresett. When their children were old enough, they offered their assistance to hot-air balloon pilots, as well, she said.

Gabriele Bresett said they got involved with Balloonfest through the Howell Area Chamber of Commerce and were involved with the show for a long time.

That involvement stopped when Stephan's kidney troubles began to worsen about four years ago, she said. The eldest Bresett child battled kidney issues his entire life, Gabriele Bresett said, but not a lot of people outside the family knew because he wanted to keep the fight a secret.

"He was on the list for a transplant for about four-and-a-half years while we looked for donors," she said, "but nothing ever became available."

Someone else may get the transplant they need, though, as another Balloonfest participant,Shelby Township resident Robert Lykins, has offered to collect pop-can tabs in a fundraiser for the Gift of Life Michigan Organ and Tissue Donation program, according to Gabriele Bresett.

Gift of Life Michigan is the state's only federally designated organ- and tissue-recovery program, providing all services necessary for organ donation to occur in Michigan. The nonprofit organization works all over the state as a liaison linking donors, hospitals and transplant centers.

Once the tabs are collected, they're taken to a recycling center and weighed to determine their value, Gabriele Bresett added. The funds will then be given to Gift of Life in Stephan Bresett 's honor.

"He did this before and collected about 250,000 tabs for a group in New York," said Gabriele Bresett, a First National Bank employee.

Pop tabs can be dropped off at any Livingston County First National branch.