Dakota Lane Johnston was a handsome, courageous, loving, sweet, and giving young man. On May 8, 2008, after fishing with his dad and friends, eight-year-old Dakota collapsed from a hemorrhaging arteriovenous malformation (AVM) in the center of his brain. He died two days later. Dakota's parents, Steve and Kelly, decided to donate his organs that saved the lives of five people. One of them was a five-year-old boy from Houston, whom Steve and Kelly have met.

Dakota's Story

Dakota Lane Johnston was a handsome, courageous, loving, sweet, and giving young man. He amazed those around him with his quick wit and sense of humor. Always wanting to help people in his life, he also gave and helped total strangers through his death.

Dakota enjoyed the outdoors and spending time with his father learning how to fish and hunt. He also enjoyed curling up in bed with his mother and watching his favorite soap opera, One Life to Live; he even named his yellow lab Asa Buchannan after a main character. Another large part of Dakota's life was his religion and faith in God. After he was baptized, the first words he said to his aunt were that now he could see her in heaven some day. Little did she know he would get there first in just six short months.

On Thursday, May 8, 2008, after fishing with his dad and friends, eight-year-old Dakota collapsed in the driveway of their home. He had a hemorrhaging arteriovenous malformation (AVM) in the center of his brain. Dakota died on May 10, the night before Mother's Day. Dakota's parents, Steve and Kelly, immediately decided to donate his organs. They knew that Dakota would want to save another person if he could. Dakota's organs changed the lives of five recipients that weekend. One of them was a five-year-old boy from Houston. Steve and Kelly have met that little boy and his family, and the families stay in touch.

On the weekend of what would have been Dakota's ninth birthday, his family hosted a chili cook-off and donated all money raised to the AVM Foundation. That day, more than 40 people signed up to be organ donors, all because of Dakota.

"Each night before bed, Dakota prayed for a little brother or sister," said Kelly. "Amazingly, 14 months after Dakota passed away, our twins Graci Lynn and Cash Joseph were born. Dakota was always a giver. After his final gift of life to strangers, it appears that he gave us a gift in the form of twins."