SEMINOLE COUNTY, Ga. (WALB) – What began as a family’s darkest moment has now become a story of hope, healing and an unbreakable bond.

Eight-year-old Alaina Ritter passed away suddenly from meningitis on May 9, 2023. Her mother, Nicole Ritter, made a powerful decision to make sure her daughter’s life didn’t end there. She chose organ donation so that Alaina could continue helping others.

“She was always a beautiful little sunshine. She was my rainbow baby. And she was all over the place,” Nicole said. “And knowing she is all over the place and helping people like she wants to is a big deal.”

Alaina’s heart, kidney and liver were donated. Her family hoped that Alaina’s gift could give others a second chance at life. On Mother’s Day, May 11, 2025, that hope became reality for Michelle Young, who had spent two years on the transplant waiting list praying for a kidney.

“That call is everything. You wait so long, and you just never know,” Young said. “My call came in at 10 o’clock at night — It’s such a sense of hope.”

Young received her kidney on May 13, and doctors called her case a miracle.

“It’s just proof that God can take something so incredibly heartbreaking and birth such a beautiful testimony from it,” Young said. “I get the privilege of walking around knowing I’m honoring her life.”

Since the transplant, Ritter and Young have remained close — united by the shared miracle that transformed loss into life. Their friendship has become a symbol of how one family’s selfless act can ripple through countless others.

“My daughter was a ball of sunshine. She was called the town hero,” Ritter said. “She donated her organs on Mother’s Day when she was eight years old. When I met Michelle, we instantly clicked — now she has my daughter’s kidney. We’re like family.”

According to LifeLink of Georgia, research shows that 13 people die each day waiting for a transplant. With more than 100,000 people on the national waiting list — and over 3,000 right here in Georgia — more donors are needed to meet the growing need.

“Becoming an organ donor is a great gift,” said Courtney Proctor, a coordinator with LifeLink of Georgia. “Nobody wants to be in that situation, but when the time comes, we want all the help we can possibly get.”

It’s a mission Nicole Ritter says her daughter continues to lead in spirit.

“I hope my daughter brings awareness to people,” she said. “So they can know that they’re still out there and still saving lives.”

The next time you renew your license, remember Alaina’s story. Your answer to the organ donation question could be someone’s miracle.

For more information on organ donation or to register as a donor, visit www.LifeLinkFoundation.org.

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