Band of Brothers – A Soldier Honors the Legacy of His Best Friend

Staff Sgt. Erik Tofte honored his best friend by carrying a Donate Life Flag with him on tours of the Middle East, Africa and Thailand.

This article was originally published in the Q1 issue of Gift of Hope’s Connections Newsletter

Cameron Chana and Staff Sgt. Erik Tofte first met in 2006 when they pledged for the Sigma Pi fraternity at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Ill. Chana, of Clarendon Hills, Ill., was entering his sophomore year and eager to continue his college pursuits while serving as a member of Sigma Pi. Tofte, of Roscoe, Ill., also a sophomore but three years older than Chana, had a year of community college under his belt after coming off active duty as a member of the U.S. Army’s famed 1st Cavalry Division. They were accepted into the fraternity, and for the next three years they were college roommates and worked closely together in their various roles within the Sigma Pi fraternity house. They became brothers.

Cameron Chana

“Cameron was easily the most memorable person I met during my time at Eastern,” Tofte recalled. “He was one-of-a-kind, and there aren’t enough positive words in any language to describe just how remarkable of a person he was. I have been half-way around the world with my Army travels and have met all kinds of people from all walks of life, and it’s no exaggeration to say Cameron was easily among the best of them. He was warm, kind, funny, loving, smart and helpful.”

The trait that radiated from Chana most — the part everyone fell in love with — was his genuine caring attitude, Tofte added. “It didn’t matter if you had known him for years or just met him 10 minutes ago. He wanted to get to know you better. It was why so many people considered him their best friend and why there was, and there remains, such a strong reaction among his friends and fellow students to his loss.”

It was late May 2009, three weeks after Chana had graduated from EIU. He had decided to pursue an MBA at EIU, so he stayed there after graduation with plans to start graduate school in the fall. He and about 50 others, mostly EIU students, were returning to campus on a rented double-decker bus with an open-air top after a day of boating at Lake Shelbyville, a popular central Illinois recreational area. Chana, who stood about 6-foot-3, and another man were facing backward when the bus headed under the Interstate Highway 57 overpass on Illinois Highway 16 in Mattoon, just west of the EIU campus. Chana and the other man both were killed instantly when their heads struck the overpass.

Quick-thinking students gave both men CPR until first responders arrived. The students didn’t know both men were beyond saving at that point. But their actions proved to be lifesaving nonetheless.

Erik, a Humvee and the Donate Life flag

That’s because Chana was a registered organ and tissue donor. Chana’s parents, Rob and Lori, didn’t know about their son’s decision to be a donor. That fact surfaced when they heard the devastating news that Cameron was brain-dead. Even in death, Cameron’s caring attitude emerged, Rob said. “Cameron had taken all appropriate steps to be an organ and tissue donor. He knew the decision to donate would be a difficult one for us, and he didn’t want us to have to make that decision if we were ever faced with it. That was Cameron.”

Surgeons recovered Chana’s heart, liver, lungs and two kidneys, and those gifts saved five people’s lives. And his tissue gifts have resulted in more than 50 transplants to date. Cameron’s impact on other people’s lives through his decision to be an organ and tissue donor is his legacy, Tofte said. “It was only a matter of time until he made a mark on the world. We all expected that to happen in life. In his case, he has made his mark in death.”

Tofte has dedicated himself to ensuring that Chana’s mark leaves a very large footprint. Since 2009, he has been a member of the Texas Army National Guard and has been deployed to several locations, including Africa, the Mideast and Thailand. During those deployments, Tofte took several steps to make sure the areas he visited felt his best friend’s presence and learned about the importance of organ and tissue donation.

For example, he carried a Donate Life flag with him, and, taking a “roaming gnome” approach, he had photographs taken of himself holding the Donate Life flag throughout his travels. He also created Donate Life and C.L.C. (Chana’s initials) nameplates for his uniform and wore them over his regulation insignia when possible and appropriate and took more photographs of him wearing the nameplates. And he had pro-donation T-shirts made and wore one in many other photographs. He compiled many of these photographs into a photo book.

Erik with the Donate Life flag in Djibouti.

Knowing he would return to the states in November 2012, Tofte arranged to visit the Chana family to present them with three surprise gifts: the Donate Life flag he carried with him, the photo book and a T-shirt he wore at his various landing points. He also brought a certificate of authenticity from his base commander in Djibouti verifying that the Donate Life flag flew over Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, on August 6, 2012, “as a symbol and constant reminder of the importance of the Donate Life program and the impact donors have on our great nation.”

In December 2012, Tofte visited the Chanas at their Clarendon Hills home to present them with his gifts. “We had no idea he was doing it,” said Lori Chana. “It was an amazing tribute. We were really touched by it.”

Presenting those gifts was the least he could do to honor the legacy of a dear friend who made the lives of so many people better — in life and in death, Tofte said. “Cameron was the kind of person the world so desperately needs more of. It’s also what makes his participation in organ and tissue donation so fitting. It’s as beautiful as it is tragic.”

See more photos of Erik, Cameron and the Donate Life flag at GiftofHope.org.

A Challenge from a Donor Mother

Wyatt with his brothers and sisters on graduation day.

Today, September 17^th, would have been Wyatt’s (my son) 20th birthday. It is the first birthday since he was taken from us last October. 

Wyatt’s final gift to others was through organ and tissue donation. In his passing, he saved the lives of three people and gave sight to two others. His decision to be an organ and tissue donor has impacted countless lives.

Wyatt

So, in honor of my son and his decision to save lives, I am asking you to share Wyatt’s story and to pledge to do one thing to positively impact your community.  I hope to encourage 20 people — one for each wondrous year I had with my son — to take action by helping someone else.

Nothing is insignificant when it comes to uplifting the life of another.

Personally, I will volunteer at a women’s shelter and a senior living complex. I will pay for someone else’s meal. And, I will pledge my time and energy to a local charity. At the end of the day, I will visit my son and tell him that I live each day to honor him and his many gifts.

If you have not yet considered organ donation I urge you to visit www.GiftofHope.org and become an organ donor.  It would be remarkable to inspire 20 people to honor Wyatt by registering as organ and tissue donors. 

Thank you all for your love and support.

Krista Jones

The Inaugural Shawn Miller Memorial Run

Shawn Miller on his bike.

Shawn Miller had a big personality. Most people around his small town loved him and he, of course, loved them right back. His brother, Nathan, says that, “All you had to do was call and Shawn was there.” Nathan continues, “He would go out of his way to help his friends and make sure they were happy.”

It was only natural that when Nathan told Shawn about organ donation, his response was, “Well duh. I have no use for my organs once I’m gone. Why the heck wouldn’t I be donor?”

That discussion became relevant earlier this year when Shawn was fatally injured doing what he loved – riding his ATV.  “I was so proud of him for making this decision,” says Nathan. “Knowing that he lives on and helped five others in need is amazing. Shawn is my role model.”

On Saturday, September 6^th, the friends and family of Shawn Miller are hosting inaugural Shawn Miller Memorial Run to honor him and his gifts of life through organ and tissue donation. The event will kick-off at 11:00am at Manny’s Pizza in Savanna, Illinois. All proceeds from the event will be donated to Gift of Hope.

To learn more about the event, visit the Shawn Miller Memorial Run Facebook page at http://on.fb.me/1uvqyH8. Inquiries about the event should be sent to Nathan Schnitzler at nschnitzler30@gmail.com.

Angels in My Life

Walter Pineda received a lifesaving liver transplant that transformed his life in so many ways.

Walter Pineda has many people to thank for getting him to where he is today.

“There have been several angels in my life,” said Walter, a Gift of Hope Advocate and liver recipient. “Some of them tried to help me and I turned away and some persisted until I found my way.”

Walter had a very rough life. He was raised by his grandparents and became homeless as a teenager after they died. Even before that he was drinking and “hanging out with the wrong crowd.”

“I was feeling sick but I didn’t do anything about it,” he said. “Fortunately, there were people who wanted to help me.” The first was a woman who owned a restaurant and offered him a job and food if he would change his life. Then there was the priest who helped after an incident with a gang when Walter was forced to run for his life. Even though he promised God he would change if his life was spared, he still couldn’t stop drinking.

But the angels kept coming. Angel number three was a woman who helped him get into a program where he met a social worker. “She sent me to a wonderful doctor who was another angel in my life,” he explained.

The doctor — angel number five — told him he had to stay sober for six months before he could be considered for a liver transplant. When he relapsed, the social worker did something no one had ever done for him. “She put her job on the line and asked the director of the transplant unit to give me another chance,” Walter said. “That gave me the resolve to stop drinking.”

Walter was placed on the national transplant waiting list. On September 10, 2008, a match for a liver transplant was found. “I was scared and didn’t know if I could go through with the surgery,” Walter said. “That’s when my team of nurses started crying for me and encouraged me to accept this gift of life.”

Walter remembers that during the surgery he had a vision. “God talked to me,” he said. “He said he would close my wounds.” Amazingly, Walter explained that his scar looks like a cross.

The next angel in Walter’s life was Raiza Mendoza, Manager of Hispanic Affairs for Gift of Hope. “Raiza has given me a purpose in my life,” he said. “Today I’m leading a second life. I’m sharing my story and signing people up to save other lives through organ and tissue donation.”