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Love replaces diploma, marks Brown's legacy
Cap, gown will be draped over vacant chair during graduation
Gulf Breeze High School student Sarah Brown might have passed away as a sophomore two years ago, but her friends and family are driven to carrying her name into the future. Brown will be remembered with love when her 344 classmates graduate Monday (5 p.m., Pensacola Civic Center), Her cap and gown will be draped over her chair as a symbol of her luminous presence among her peers during the special day and forever in their hearts. "Sarah would have been ecstatic about graduating from high school and heading to college in the fall," Sarah's mother, Kristen Brown-Sanders, said recently. "She had pretty much already decided on Flagler University at the time of her accident." Brown, a GBHS sophomore, died at age 16 on Saturday, Feb. 17, 2007 of injuries sustained in a two-car accident on Bayou Boulevard in Pensacola. Brown was a passenger in a vehicle that crossed the center line into oncoming traffic. Three other people were injured.
Nature-loving residents might have noticed another special way that Sarah's friends and family have nurtured their love for her. Last year, Sarah's family planted a promising young magnolia tree with a bench at the High School lunch deck in honor of Sarah's love of the time she spent with her school friends. On Tuesday, Feb. 3, her friends remembered what would have been Sarah's 18th birthday by adding Red Sister plants to the area. Sarah's family planted a weeping eucalyptus tree at Gulf Breeze Middle School in honor of the occasion. "As Sarah's mom, my instincts are to continue to care for her," Kristen Brown-Sanders said. "Planting the trees and gardening in the memorial areas at the school has allowed me to do so even though she's gone. "Another thing we do as a family is strive to incorporate her unique qualities into our day-to-day lives because it helps us feel closer to her." No story on Sarah Brown can be complete without mentioning the fact that she gave the ultimate gift of life through organ donation. Her family has been in touch with all of her recipients and is especially connected to the boy who received Sarah's heart. By all accounts, 11-yearold Alex is doing well (in school and on his skateboard!) and carries Sarah forward into his future. He proudly shows her picture to friends and wears a t-shirt that reads: "An organ donor saved my life. Thank you to all the families who make the difficult decision to donate their loved one's organs so that others may live. My new heart feels great." Jamison, Sarah's little brother who will turn 10 in June, is currently writing his first letter to Alex. The two boys plan on being pen pals. Kristen Brown-Sanders would love to meet Alex one day to hold him close and hear that precious heart beating. "Sarah was an amazing gift to us for 16 years," Kristen Brown-Sanders said. "Her light definitely shines on." GRADUATION ¦ What: 2009 Gulf Breeze High Commencement ¦ When: Monday 5 p.m. ¦ Where: Pensacola Civic Center |
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