Lynn Finley decorates the floragraph of her son, Jesse Miller Gamble. When 19- year- old Jesse Miller Gamble finished his shift at Terra Restaurant one summer night three years ago, he hopped on his bike and started for his home on Senate Street as he had done many nights before.

But that night was different. That night, while biking over the Blossom Street Bridge, Jesse was struck by a drunk driver and sustained immense injuries. He was taken to the Palmetto Richland Hospital and diagnosed as brain-dead. His body had endured too much to carry on, and Jesse’s brain could no longer carry out its function. Without being on a ventilator, Jesse would die.

In those most heartbreaking moments of her life, Jesse’s mother, Lynn Finley, remembered that he had talked about being an organ donor.

“When I took him to get his driver’s license, the lady at the DMV asked if he wanted to become a donor. He asked what that meant, and when she explained he said he wanted to do it. I just never thought he’d be doing it so soon.”

Finley made the decision to honor Jesse’s wishes and spoke to a counselor from LifePoint, Inc., an organization that coordinates the recovery of organs and counsels the families of the deceased. Because she made that call and because young Jesse had checked the donor box when he got his driver’s license, seven other lives were saved.

“Becoming a donor is an extremely personal and individual decision, but when a family realizes their dying loved one has the chance to save others, it can be the only bright spot on the worst day of their lives,” said Mark Johnson, spokesman for LifePoint, Inc.

By carrying out her son’s wishes, Finley said she feels he lives on.

“I know he was my son, but Jesse was a special young man. He was just starting out, and he lived his life out loud. He was going to go far. As heartbreaking as it was to lose him, I know he would be happy to know that he’s helped other people to live longer and improved lives.”

Seven recipients of Jesse’s organs have that better life today. Finley said that she has received letters from three of them, but she hasn’t met any as of yet.

“I do hope to meet them all at some point,” she said. “Knowing they are out there and they are healthier because of Jesse makes me feel closer to him.”

Because of Jesse’s organ donations, he will be honored in this year’s Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California, with a flora-graph, a portrait sized depiction of his face made entirely from flowers and seeds. The flora-graph will be one of 72 that will honor donors and will be on the Donate Life float. It will be seen in person by the thousands of people on the streets of Pasadena and millions of television viewers. Jesse is the first person from the Columbia area and the fourth from South Carolina to receive the honor.

“ When they first called me, I went through the gambit of emotions,” his mother said. “I was so excited that Jesse was chosen and then felt guilty for being excited. And of course the grief of losing him is always there.”

Earlier this month, there was a local ceremony to honor Jesse at Terra Restaurant, and his mother and friends and family were able to put the finishing touches on his floral portrait. Life Point and Donate Life South Carolina honored Jesse at this event thanks to a sponsorship by Bridge to Life, a Midlands based bio-tech company that is dedicated to advancing organ recovery and preservation. They also are responsible for financing Jesse’s mother’s trip to California for the parade as well as the ceremony.

“I’m looking forward to being there when the float goes by,” Finley said. “ I’m sure I’ll cry, but I know I’ll be proud for Jesse.”

LifePoint Inc. spokesman Johnson said the publicity of the ceremony and having a local donor in the parade would hopefully create more awareness about the donor program. He said that Bridge to Life wanted to take some of the mystery out of becoming a donor.

“A lot of people don’t know about the donor program or what organs can be used,” Johnson said. “Donors save lives in a lot of instances. There is a waiting list of people who will otherwise die unless they receive a new organ. It’s letting a loved one live on and giving a miracle to the recipients. A new name is added to the organ waiting list every 11 minutes so when people make the decision to become an organ donor, they are literally passing out true miracles.”

Jesse’s mother agrees. She said a LifePoint coordinator will attend the Rose Parade with her and the pride she feels for her son’s gifts to so many people helps her deal with losing him so soon.

“ I can feel Jesse’s presence in this decision,” she said. “He is with me all the time, and I know this is what he would have wanted. By becoming a donor, he lives on, not just in our hearts and memories, but he has given others a second chance at life.

To register to become a donor, go to www.Every11Minutes.org and follow the prompts or call Donate Life SC 187PASS-IT-ON