Brett Urban

In 2000, when our sweet Brett was 2 years old, his family was driving to a softball tournament in Wisconsin. In the car were his father, mother, twin brother Michael and older brother Marcus, who was 5 at the time. That afternoon a drunk driver was heading north in the south bound lanes and hit them head on, killing his mom instantly and severely injuring Brett, Marcus, and his dad, Todd. Brett suffered a head injury that left him one sided paralysis and inability to speak words. Marcus had a spinal cord injury, leaving him paralyzed from the chest down. Todd had numerous bone fractures. Michael was uninjured. Brett amazed everyone with his recovery. He was pure joy with a giggle that made everyone smile. He was incredibly bright, loved puzzles and video games and his shape sorter, which he could do blindfolded. Todd married Weezie 7 years later, making it a family of 8! Bailley, Piper, and Sawyer loved being big sisters to Brett and affectionately called him Bretty Boo, Boo Man, and Bombasquaids. In 2019, Todd and Weezie took a trip to Prague and Poland to see Michael, who was stationed there in the Army. Brett was with Todd’s parents in Wisconsin visiting relatives when Brett missed a step in a back yard and fell, suffering a massive head injury that he wouldn’t recover from. He was in the hospital in Milwaukee for a week and then finally transferred back to our beloved Gillette Children’s Hospital in St. Paul, where we made the heartbreaking decision to removed Brett from life support on May 4th, 2019. Lifesource met with us soon after arriving when we spoke with staff about the possibility of organ donation, and we immediately felt comfort knowing Brett would live on through others. Not once did we feel pressured or rushed, and every question was answered. They took the time to speak with Michael, who is on the Autism Spectrum, and Marcus, who also suffered a brain injury, separately, explaining how everything worked with such care, allowing them to ask additional questions in a private environment. This was so special to us and showed such a high level of empathy. We can’t say enough about the amazing staff at Gillette and everyone with LifeSource. We have heard from 2 of Brett’s recipients and treasure their letters and their lives. Thank you to all who selflessly register to be donors. #shareyourheart

Brett had the most amazing giggle ever! He loved noisy toys, singing greeting cards, Dora, Peppa, and SpongeBob