Manito -- It's a decision we hope never to make, but it's one that saves thousands of lives each year. A gift of hope that brings a second chance to those who receive it.
This week, WMBD TV is taking a deeper look at organ donation and transplants, and the people who make them possible.
In part one of this special series, we show you how one central Illinois family was able to look past their grief to help their father's legacy live on.

Rick Charlton was a man of many passions.
A teacher and bus driver in Manito for almost 40 years, Rick also dabbled in carpentry, corn detassling, and rental properties. But above all, family was his greatest motivation.

Rick’s wife, Paula, sums it up best, "I can say a lot about Rick’s accomplishments. But these four children, they were his life."

On a Monday night in late October, Rick was working on the roof of one of his rental properties, his own childhood home in Manito. Somehow, he slipped and fell 8 feet to the ground.

Paula remembers, "I was going down to give him a message, and I pulled into the driveway. And that's when I found him, laying on his back."

Rick was taken to OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria.
After an agonizing wait, doctors told his wife and 4 children the fall left their husband and father brain dead.

Rick’s son, Zach, says,  "They said there was no brain function left. At that point we talked about donation. We all were "of course. It's good, that's what he wanted."

Paula explains, "We wanted to donate everything we could because Rick was a very giving person. And he signed up for it and that's what we wanted to do."

So, the Charlton’s made a unanimous decision: help others live through the man they loved so dearly.

When asked how they made the decision, Zach remembers, "thinking of the people on the other side, waiting in the operating room to get their lives saved. You gotta think, if you're the one in need, don't you want somebody to give to you?"

And giving is what Rick Charlton was all about.
The community poured into his memorial service at Midwest central elementary, paying tribute to the man who dedicated his life to helping children.
And though Rick is gone, his legacy continues: in the lives he helped to save with his own.

Paula takes comfort in "knowing that his life continues on and he's helped, you know, they told us it's just going to be so many people. That's very helpful."

Zach says, "All he's done his whole life is teach people things and help people. And that's what he's doing right now."

The family says they hope to one day meet the people who received Rick's organs. To find out how you can sign up to be a registered donor, click here .
Join us Tuesday night at ten, when we introduce you to a father and son who share more than just a last name.