Teen girl who tragically passed away from a falling tree in a storm ‘lives on’ after her donated organs saved the lives of three people.
Aleya Brooks was 15 when she lost her life after the top of a tree broke off and crushed her during a bad storm.
Her heartbroken parents, Jason and Darla Brooks, made the decision to donate her kidneys, liver and pancreas because they knew that this was what their late daughter would have wanted.
They believed that part of their precious daughter lives on through the lives that she saved.
To pay respect to Aleya’s final sacrifice, an honour walk was held through the hospital as she was taken down to have the surgery to remove her organs.
Over 1000 people from the community came out for the occasion to honour Aleya’s life.
Jason and Darla adopted Aleya from China when she was nine months old and they described her as an amazing young lady who loved everyone that she met.
As well as being a straight-A student and a cheerleader athlete, she was also involved in the church as faith was especially important to her.
Jason, from Tennessee, said: “As tragic as it was to lose our little girl, we knew she wouldn’t have wanted it any other way and this was the decision that would honour her most.
“Donating her organs to save the lives of others would be the last act of love that Aleya would have wanted to give.
“We believe that a part of her certainly lives on, as does her message and legacy of love and selflessly giving to others.”
During the bad storm, a tree had fallen across the family’s driveway and they decided to work together to clean it up, so Aleya’s brother could get to work.
As Jason would cut up pieces from the fallen tree, Aleya would carry them over to the woods.
As she carried the last few pieces away, Jason glanced over at his daughter who was walking back towards him when the top of a tree broke off and fell down hitting her from behind.
Jason and one of his sons were closest to Aleya, and both watched as the tree fell down and crushed her to the ground.
The family presumed she would get back up but soon realised she was bleeding and called an ambulance.
However, emergency services were unable to reach them in the storm so had to drive their neighbour’s 4×4 to meet the ambulance.
Aleya was rushed to trauma intensive care and Jason said that he could tell by their faces that her situation was tragic.
He recalled that after what seemed like an eternity, the neurosurgeon came in and explained that it was incredibly rare that they get people with injuries like Aleya’s, but reassured them that they would try their best.
He explained that all of Aleya’s facial bones were crushed and broken, and a CT scan showed internal bleeding on her brain.
Aleya was hooked up to many machines and on a lot of medication but Jason still held out hope for his daughter as he believed in miracles.
However, after staying at the hospital with Aleya, they woke up to a nurse standing in front of her shaking her head and quietly crying and whispering softly to herself “I just don’t know what to do.”
After being told that Aleya wasn’t going to make it, a representative from Tennessee donor services came to visit the family and asked whether they had considered donating Aleya’s organs.
Darla is a recipient of a donated kidney from her sister, so it was something that Aleya had always heard about from her mum and something very important to them.
Jason explained that Aleya loved everyone so deeply and cared so passionately, that they instantly knew this would be the final act of love that she would have wanted to give to the world.
They decided to go ahead and donate their daughter’s kidneys, liver, and pancreas.
Jason said: “In our hearts, we knew she was no longer with us when the tree crashed down on her.
“Yet, at the same time, our faith and hope was strong for a miracle.
“However, we were able to keep her body functioning until recipients could be found for the gift of organ donation.
“Aleya was removed from the life support machine, and was taken down to have the surgery, where there was an honour walk for Aleya and over 1000 people from the community came to be there.”
He added: “As her father, it was spectacular knowing that we made a decision that would honour her the most.
“As tragic as it was to lose my daughter, she would not have wanted things to happen any other way.
“The love that she had for others, everyone that she met, was immense.
“We knew that she would never have hesitated to donate her organs and she is honoured because of this.”
The family even received a heartfelt letter from the recipient of Aleya’s kidney thanking her for saving their life and promising they would do everything to honour the blessing she had given them.