Two families bond after child's death saves another

CNN | John Torigoe

Pasadena, California (CNN) -- A tender smile frames the face of Eva Perez as she remembers the life of her 6-year old son.

"Hernan was a very happy boy," she says. "He gave me flowers all the time. He's the first 'man' (to) give me flowers."

But her smile is thinly veiled -- her face splintering into tears as she permits the raw truth to surface.

On Valentine's Day in 1999, Hernan suffered severe head trauma while sledding in the snow-covered mountains above the Los Angeles basin.

Eva says she tried to reach her son but couldn't navigate thick snow and ice. She flagged down a passing vehicle and asked the occupants to alert authorities.

Hernan was airlifted to Huntington Memorial Hospital, where, two days later, he was declared brain dead.

A family care coordinator with One Legacy, an organ and tissue recovery agency, approached Eva and her husband, Arnold, to talk about donating Hernan's organs.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2011/12/20/living/giving-in-focus-organ-donation/?hpt=us_t2