With the idea that the holidays can be hard for those who havelost loved ones, one organization is taking strides to give thefamilies of organ donors a support system.

“Most of these people have lost children,” said MississippiOrgan Recovery Agency Volunteer Services Coordinator James Laird.”During the holidays, this makes for a good support group, and ithelps their grieving to know they’re not alone. There are otherfamilies going through the grieving process.”

Donors’ families from across Southwest Mississippi met at theInez Tuesday night to dine and tell stories of those they haveloved and lost. While many of them went in unacquainted, they cameout sharing a bond only grieving families can understand.

“There’s healing power in getting the families together,” saidMORA Donor Family Services Coordinator Jan Morrison. “They get tostand up and share stories about their loved ones. Some of themwon’t because they’re not able to yet, but that’s OK, because theyneed to do it when they’re ready.”

The Rev. Willie Hart, of Crystal Springs, said though his sonWillie Jr. was murdered in 2001, he saved five lives when he died.Hart said the family was told who each recipient was, and his son’sstrong faith went on to save not only the life, but the soul ofone.

“There was an article written about Willie after he died,” Hartsaid. “One of his recipients sent us a letter and told us readingthat story made her and her husband repent and give their lives tothe Lord.”

While Willie Jr.’s kidneys, liver and lungs went to otherstates, his parents took great solace in the fact his heart stayedclose to home.

“His heart stayed in Mississippi,” his father said, saying theman who had received the heart had come to visit him and had satdown at his kitchen table and had a long talk with him. “He pouredout his heart to me, and I told him, ‘You sound just like my son.’Then I knew I had gotten to have one more heart-to-heart talk withmy son. Willie’s heart had come home.”

Hart said through the grief, it had been important to him andhis wife Loretta to remember the gift that had been given throughtheir son’s death.

“God allowed our loved ones to give life,” he said. “And God hasextended our family, what He did through tragedy is enlarge ourfamilies. Sometimes it seems like it’s unbearable but we’ve touchedlives all over the United States.”

Meanwhile, Loretta said, they will never forget their son.

“People tell you to let go and go on with life, but it’s hard tolet go of 22 years, because that’s a lot to remember,” she said.”But I look at this group like the song to that show, ‘Cheers.’Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name, and allour problems are the same.”

Kindergarten teacher Cassandra Burkes met her husband Calvin incollege, and they were best friends for three years before theystarted dating.

“He was a special person, loved by a lot of people,” shesaid.

Calvin had been a recipient of a kidney transplant, which hadmade the decision to be an organ donor easy for him. He toldCassandra, “When I go, if I have anything anyone can use, donateit. Somebody thought enough of me to give me this kidney, and it’sthe least I can do.”

The Burkes never thought the time would actually come that hewould be able to return the favor. Calvin Burke, a customer servicerepresentative for McRae’s, died from a series of strokes abouteight years after his transplant .

“The doctors had no explanation, and I knew it was God’s time,”she said. “I knew when they came to talk to me about organdonation, because we’d talked about it already.”

She said the kidney that was donated to Calvin was donatedagain, along with his liver and his lungs. But what she will alwaysremember is his heart.

“He was a great man,” she said. “He never held any highpositions, but he was a wonderful friend, a wonderful husband, anda wonderful father, and Christmas was his favorite time ofyear.”

Janie Williams, of Brookhaven, said she remembers the day herson Joey came home with his driver’s license in his hand and said,”Mom, I chose to be an organ donor.”

“I didn’t really think about it. I was more worried about himbeing on the road,” she said.

She said the night he died, she already knew his decision to bean organ donor, and Joey saved four lives.

“I’ve never met two of them, but the two I have met make up forthe two I haven’t. Joey’s heart is in Mississippi, too,” she said,saying MORA had been there for her through the tragedy. “God givesus the strength to go on, because God gives us these wonderfulpeople that are like family to us.”

Virginia Deer lost her husband Lee, who she said would giveanyone the shirt off his back.

“Anyone that knew him knew he was willing to do anything andgive anything for anyone. When he had a stroke and I was told hewas brain dead, my children brought up organ donation and I knewit’s what he would do,” she said. “He’s still giving.”

Chuck and Jullia Ivey lost their son Justin Hickman severalyears ago, and they said there’s solace in the fact that the son heleft behind is constantly a reminder.

“He talks like him, walks like him, and sometimes he turns andgrins at you, and I just have to leave the room because it’s sospooky,” Chuck said.

Other family members say the memories are what keeps them goingas well.

Janet and Bill Gunnel of Summit said their 19-year-old daughterdied of a brain tumor. Her heart had gone on to a young man whosaid now he can’t pass up a shoe store, since that had been herpassion, they said.

“These recipients go through a lot of things we don’t thinkabout,” Bill said. “Allison is still living, and she’s doing thingsI never thought of her doing, like riding a motorcycle.”

Virginia Lee of McComb said she and her husband Pete would liketo meet their granddaughter’s organ recipients, just to tell themthe story of the girl who saved their lives.

“I want to let them know what a tremendous child this was,” shesaid. “She was artistic, and she loved fast-pitch softball. We’refortunate that her organs live on in others – that sort of keepsyou going.”

Delphine McGee said she has not met any of the recipients of herhusband Gerald, who she said was like a big kid who loved Christmasand who had just nursed her through health problems of her own.

Gerald died at age 47 of heart problems, but that she looksforward to that meeting. He was able to donate both kidneys, hisliver and both corneas.

“I pray that I do meet them before I die,” she said. “I’d justlike to be able to look into those eyes again.”