‘She’ll forever be my hero’: Lincoln teen’s organ recipients honor her memory

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Three years after a Lincoln teenager died, her family and friends met with her organ recipients for a walk at Holmes Lake on Sunday.

On April 10, 2021, Kennedy Bowles was in a car crash southwest of Lincoln.

The 18-year-old high school senior was critically injured, and doctors told her family that she would not survive.

But through the tragedy, Kennedy was able to do something incredible.

She donated seven organs to five people, saving their lives.

SEE MORE: LIFE THROUGH LOSS: Lincoln teen involved in weekend crash will donate organs

Her mother, Sundance Bowles, organized a Walk for Kennedy at Holmes Lake on Sunday.

She invited Kennedy’s organ recipients.

“It’s the only closure I have to her death is to be close to these people,” Bowles said. “I don’t think I could move on without knowing she was still living through these people.”

Kennedy’s pancreas and one of her kidneys went to Anitra Alcorta-Horn, who went to the walk.

Doctors told her she was about three weeks away from dying when she got the call that she would get a transplant.

Alcorta-Horn said it’s amazing to see the impact Kennedy has had on people, even beyond death.

“I’ve got a second chance at life to spend with my daughter and watch her get older,” she said.

Kennedy’s brother, Ethan, said the walk is a good reminder of who his sister was and the legacy she left behind.

He’s glad to know that other families get to keep Kennedy’s memory alive.

Jim Taylor was the recipient of Kennedy’s heart.

He said he can’t describe what her selflessness means to him.

His own heart was failing to the point where he could barely walk a block before he was out of breath.

Now, he’s walking much farther to honor Kennedy and bring awareness to the importance of organ donation.

“She’ll forever be my hero,” Taylor said. “I feel bad that her life was so short, I really do. She was only 18, had a lot of life in front of her, and I feel bad about that. But it’s phenomenal that she signed up for it. I know I thank her for it every day.”