HOPEWELL, Va. (WRIC) — Dozens of people came together for a motorcycle ride in Hopewell to honor living donors and donors’ families.
In 2019, 16-year-old Dakota Reid was killed in a car crash in Dinwiddie County. After his death, Dakota’s family decided to donate some of his organs and have saved the lives of at least five people since.
“We had two kidneys, two different people,” said John Reid, Dakota’s father.
Dakota’s heart went to Robert O’Connor, a man from Massachusetts who was suffering from cardiomyopathy. O’Connor was in Hopewell riding alongside Reid, who organized the Aug. 13 ride as a way to remember Dakota.
“It’s a powerful thing when you find out,” said Reid about the organ transplants. “It went from being sad to knowing he gave people a second chance at life.”
Proceeds from the event will go to the LifeNet Health Foundation.
