In October of 2002, Terri and Juan Contreras lost their 15- year-old daughter, Celeste. She was a vibrant and talented Spanish folklorico dancer with a lot of talent and promise. From the very moment, Celeste was riding in the car with her mother and saw a billboard that talked about organ and tissue donation, she made the selfless decision and told her mother what her final wishes would be if ever. Her mother, Terri smiled and knew in her heart Celeste was doing what she knew was right. No one ever expected it to be so soon.

Without a doubt her family knew that she wanted to be on organ donor, and when the time came she did. Through this tragedy, the Contreras family had the courage and compassion to make a difference in the lives of others by honoring Celeste’s wishes.

Celeste continues to be a source of inspiration to her family. They remember her magnetic personality and how much she was a joy to be around. As a way to continue to honor her life, Celeste’s family have become donation champions and spread the message of hope to their community through media and public service. When Celeste gave her gift no one knew that organ donation would come full circle for the Contreras family.

Celeste’s father, Juan, is currently waiting for a liver transplant. He hopes that he will receive a 2nd chance at life through someone making the same brave and selfless decision that his daughter made.