Amazing, Gifted Kids Give the Gift of Life
Five-year-old Sophia loved to dance and sing. Her 9-year-old brother, Nicholas, was an inventor, who enjoyed designing buildings, robots and machines. Even at such a young age, the siblings were not only recognized as very gifted children, but generous, giving children.
After, a tragic car accident took their lives prematurely, Sophia and Nicholas saved lives through the donation of corneas, heart valves, cartilage and other tissues.
Their parents, Kevin and Cheryl, are registered organ and tissue donors. At such a difficult time in their lives, they made the heroic decision to donate the tissue of Sophia and Nicholas. Kevin said a letter from Mid-America Transplant Services that outlined the gifts donated was very helpful. “It was a dark time, and that letter gave us a lot of hope,” he said.
“For each of them, in honor of their lives, we started a scholarship that would provide an opportunity to other children,” Kevin said. In memory of Sophia, the family offers a scholarship to St. Peter’s Academy of Dance for a girl who would like to dance but can’t afford it and to a senior girl who has been dancing while doing good work in their community. In memory of Nicholas, the family sponsors a child to go to a summer camp hosted by the Gifted Resource Council, a not-for-profit education agency serving the St. Louis region aimed at helping bright and talented children achieve their potential. Nicholas was excited about attending the camp, but never got the chance.
“We absolutely loved them,” Kevin said. “They were amazing kids, more than we could ever ask for.”
Sophia was in pre-school at the time of the accident. In addition to singing and dancing, she was creative. “She kept little notebooks of art and stories,” Kevin said. “For a three-year-old, it was really amazing what she was coming up with.” In addition to designing things, Nicholas worked out puzzles and went on adventures. He enjoyed rock climbing, hikes and enjoying nature.
“They were amazing kids, more than we could ever ask for.”
In May 2013, Kevin helped to open The Center for Hope & Healing, a counseling practice dedicated to supporting families through loss and transitions. The Center is made possible by the generous support of Baue Funeral Homes in St. Charles. Opening such a center has been a dream of Kevin’s since before Sophia and Nicholas passed away. He is working now toward creating a support group for parents who lost children.
The accident was really a tribulation,” Kevin said. “We were so blessed by the friends and families that were there for us during that hard time.”
