EDITORIAL

Corona del Mar High senior Brian Campbell has been taken away,

tragically and too soon. He will be missed, but his memory will live on

in tangible ways.

No one could have anticipated that a bump to the young man’s head

while getting out of a car Saturday night would damage his brain enough

to take away his life and leave him clinically dead by Tuesday morning.

His fellow students, friends and family are mourning his passing,

remembering his special laugh and admiring his courage.

Not long ago, the 17-year-old told his mother he wanted to donate his

organs in the event of his death. Perhaps he never imagined he would be

giving the gift of life to others so soon.

But at an age when many people feel invincible, Brian courageously

considered the miracle of saving another’s life when his would be taken.

How could the death of a person so giving not leave a void in the

community? The stark sadness of his absence is somewhat softened by the

knowledge that his legacy will live on.

Friends who crowded the hospital waiting room before Brian’s death

will never forget him, his happy-go-lucky spirit and, ultimately, his

generosity.

“They were all talking about his great heart and what a good kid he

was,” said his grandmother, Collene Campbell.

Those whose lives are saved by his decision to be an organ donor will

forever remember their benefactor.

And whoever gets his heart is an especially lucky person.