Crash victim donates organs, gives gift of life to dozens

CHARLOTTE — A grieving family said their daughter’s legacy lives on in dozens of people through her donated organs.

People came to a mural in NoDa to honor Kristie Crowder on National Donor Day.

Kristie Crowder helped the U.S., and the Carolinas reach a milestone by helping a record number of people through organ donations.

People left comments in a memory book on Wednesday.

“I think that’s why she was loved by so many people because she was there for them in the good or the bad,” said her mother, Pam Crowder.

The pages are treasured by her parents, Pam and Buddy Crowder.

Kristie Crowder, who was 30 years old, died in January 2023 after she was hit on her bike in Plaza Midwood.

Her legacy lives on through organ donations.

“While we miss her tremendously, someone else may get a few more years just because of Kristie’s donation,” Buddy Crowder said.

Kristie Crowder was one of more than 23,000 people to give the gift of life last year.

That’s the most in U.S. history, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing.

Her donated organs, cornea, and tissue saved or improved the lives of 58 people.

“She helped a 52-year-old man in North Carolina,” her mother said. “Then she helped a 52-year-old woman in Pennsylvania, and her heart beats for that woman.”

“It went to different places,” her father said. “It wasn’t just one area. She helped people across the U.S.”

The Crowders said that’s fitting since their daughter loved to travel.

The last page in their memory book is a letter from Lifeshare Carolinas about the lives changed by her gifts.

“Someone that got her eyes can see the beauty and everything,” Pam Crowder said. “Someone that got her lungs will breathe fresh air.”

Kristie Crowder’s family said she registered to become an organ donor at the DMV.

You can register to be a donor in North Carolina by visiting the DMV’s website here.

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