Each April, which was designated National Donate Life month, Portland-based Donate Life Northwest unveils a new “Threads of Life” quilt, commemorating those who were a donor or recipient of a transplant. Each square on the quilt is created by those whose lives were touched by an organ, eye, or tissue donation.

This year, the quilt includes a square in memory of Rylee Marie Jackson, the daughter of Autumn and Kyle Jackson of Burns. Rylee passed away in November 2018 when she was a little more than three months old, and her heart, liver, and kidneys were donated to others in need.

The quilt is currently on display at the Harney District Hospital Family Care clinic. It will also be displayed in the Memorial Building during the Harney County Fair.

Autumn said the family received an informational packet regarding Donate Life Northwest when they were in a Boise, Idaho hospital with Rylee. The packet explained the donation process, the quilt program, and other aspects of the organization.

After the experience in the hospital with Rylee, Autumn said she and Kyle began talking about being part of the quilt program, and, in the end, the process was very healing for them.

“We decided she liked butterflies and the color purple,” Autumn said. “We went to a fabric store and picked out material, found a picture for it, and Sarah Laiosa created the quilt square.”

The Jacksons then sent the square to Portland to be incorporated into the quilt, along with 69 other squares. The quilt was first unveiled in Portland, and then a second unveiling was held in Pendleton, where the Jacksons shared their story with others.

“It helps to raise awareness and honor those who have gone through the process,” Autumn said. “The donation process is so personal. We knew she wasn’t coming back, and when Kyle and I talked about it, we kind of decided that if we don’t get our miracle, she can be a miracle for others.”

Autumn stated that the organ-donation process took more than two days to complete, and once completed, the medical teams from three different areas were present, ready to fly back to their respective hospitals for immediate surgeries.

When asked about communications between the donors and recipients, Autumn stated that Pacific Northwest Transplant Bank acts as the intermediary between the two entities for privacy reasons. She said she and Kyle wrote to the recipients, but the messages had to be “very vague”. However, it was something they wanted to do.

“We knew half of the story, the sad half, and we wanted to know the happy half,” Autumn said.

The Jacksons found out that the heart went to an infant male, the liver to a young female, and the kidneys to an older female.

“We want to be able to talk with them and let them know how much this has helped us,” Autumn said.

Autumn stated that they wanted to bring the quilt to Harney County to encourage more people to become donors, and let them know how the experience benefited them.

“It’s a chance to touch others when we talk about her life (short as it was), add to her legacy, and hopefully help others,” Autumn said. “And we’re always open to talk with others about going through grief [and] help make that burden a little lighter.”