Duluth Teenager Leaves Lasting Legacy
Sunday, January 6, 2013 - 10:07pm
By:
Kim Soyoung
Photojournalist:
Jace Christenson
FOX 21 News, KQDS-DT
DULUTH - One Duluth teenager is taken off life-support, but not before giving the gift of life to four other people. Everett Bergren was critically injured when his grandmother’s car was struck by a drunk driver, nearly a year ago.
Since the accident, he had even become well enough to attend school.
"It's been a very rough year and Everett's death was unexpected. He was doing very well and progressing tremendously," Everett’s aunt, Shelley Nicholson said.
However, his health suddenly worsened after a planned skull-plate replacement surgery, Thursday morning.
Initially, doctors thought the surgery had gone well, but he later suffered a brain hemorrhage from complication after the surgery.
Bergren was pronounced brain-dead and was put on life-support.
"He was a survivor. He wanted to work for the DNR. He loved the outdoors,” Nicholson said.
Bergren received his final surgery Saturday to donate his organs.
He was taken off life-support and was pronounced dead at the time of the procedure.
His family said his organs were given to four different individuals and they are very glad Everett is leaving a legacy.
"If last year when this happened, Everett would've needed something to survive and nobody had donated, we wouldn't have had him this year,” Nicholson said. “One year longer, which was a great year." A great last year of a great life that made all the difference to the people he helped.