BILLINGS — Dozens of families gathered Saturday at the Billings Hotel and Convention Center for LifeCenter Northwest’s annual Donor Celebration, an event honoring those who gave the gift of life through organ donation.
The ceremony brought together grieving families and organ recipients, two groups forever connected by the complexities of tragedy and hope.
Watch the powerful stories from a Montana recipient and the family of an organ donor:
Among them was Chris Kowalski, a former Bozeman resident now living in Michigan, who received not one but two heart transplants.
"You learn not to take things for granted, you appreciate everyday life, and all the little things, a lot more," said Kowalski. "Over the nine years since then, I've been able to meet grandchildren that I wouldn't have even seen before. I met my new wife after the first transplant."
Kowalski was diagnosed with an enlarged heart in 1999 after complications from the flu. Over the years, his condition worsened when he began suffering from an extremely high heart rate. He eventually required a transplant, and in 2016, after nine months on the waiting list, he received his first donor heart from a 24-year-old named Cody.
"I lived for two people at that time. Now, I technically live for three, because I have my second heart transplant," said Kowalski. "But Cody's still with me, and always will be, because that's part of the journey."
After several years, complications reappeared. That second heart came just last year on Father's Day after over four years of waiting.
"It's always in the back of your mind that, 'Man, I really don't want to go through that again,' but yes, for some, it is possible," said Kowalski. "I deal with it because I gave up control years ago. I have a blessed Savior, and it's in His hands, not mine. It's a lot easier that way for me.”
Now, the 61-year-old speaks frequently at donor events and shared his story with over a dozen families on Saturday, many of whom are still grieving the death of loved ones but united by similar stories.
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LifeCenter Northwest, the nonprofit organization hosting the event, helps coordinate organ and tissue donation across Montana, Northern Idaho, Washington, and Alaska. They also manage the Montana organ donor registry.
“There are just over 2,000 individuals on the waiting list within our service area, and that includes Montana. Nationally, there are over 100,000 people on the waiting list, and that includes all ages waiting for an organ to help save their lives," said. Ashlei Lind, the organization’s director of external affairs. "One organ donor has the ability to save up to eight lives through organ donations, so the impact is pretty significant. Less than 1% of individuals are able to be a donor."
Lind said events like the one in Billings are not only about honoring donors, but also about healing for the families left behind. The nonprofit stays connected with loved ones to provide long-term bereavement support.
“By giving life to others through organ donation, it's the ultimate gift that anyone can give, and it's our responsibility to continue to provide families with support long after the donation process ends,” explained Lind.
The event helped give Kowalski the courage to reach out to his donor family after sharing his story for the first time at the Billings celebration in 2017. He has since remained close with Cody's family and even speaks at events together.
"I have another brother. I have another sister, and I have three more nephews, so it's crazy what you can gain from this community," said Kowalski.
Now, he's preparing to write to his second donor's family after this event, but said the process is never easy.
“It's very emotional on both sides. I don't understand their side. I can't really imagine what their side is like," explained Kowalski. "My side was very emotional. You're happy, you're calling your family, and then you sit back and you're thinking you're starting to calm down, and then all of a sudden, you realize there's a family out there going through serious pain and loss.”
That pain is something local father, Tracy Starr, knows intimately.
Starr’s son, Kane Streitz, was just 19 when he died in 2021 from a gunshot wound. The grieving process has been difficult for Starr and his family, but he remembers his son as a smart and caring kid.
“Kane was a very adventurous young man, very daredevilish, funny, annoying at the same time. Concerning, he would always call and check on everybody," said Starr. "We keep his birthday alive. It's different because there's always the empty seat at the table."
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But Kane had made a decision as a teenager that many young people often overlook: he had registered as an organ donor.
"Kane being a donor made me change the status on my license, made me become a donor, because he was so excited waiting for his license that I'm thinking he really wanted the license, but he ran in the door like, 'Look dad, look,' and he pointed to the red heart, 'I'm a donor, I'm a donor,'" recalled Starr. "Didn't think anything of it at that time, and that was like a year prior to him passing.”
After his passing, Kane was able to donate his corneas, lungs, heart, and tissues, and has impacted at least 177 people who were in need.
“When he passed, we started getting letters from recipients that had received gifts from Kane. It validated the value of being a donor," said Starr. "He's living on through so many."
Starr, along with his wife, children, and Kane's aunt and cousins, has now attended the Billings ceremony four times. Though his family has not met any of Kane’s recipients yet, he said they hope to someday.
"It's bittersweet," said Starr. "But it's why we're here, to honor life."
Although events such as this serve as painful reminders, it is also one that shows our loved ones never go away, but instead live on in different forms. For Kowalski and Starr, those stories are reminders of life’s fragility and its enduring power.
“Don't take life for granted. It's not promised to any of us. Every day that we get to wake up, it's a blessing," said Starr.
“I'm hoping that Cody and my new donor can see and feel somehow through the heart what I do, and that they're doing it too, because I wouldn't be able to do it without them,” added Kowalski. "From all the donors out there, from all the recipients, a heartfelt, no pun intended, thank you. We're sorry for your loss, but we thank you for that decision.”
To learn more about LifeCenter Northwest and becoming an organ donor, click here.
