DETROIT (WXYZ) — A new memorial at DMC Sinai-Grace Hospital is honoring dozens of organ donors whose gifts of life continue to save others, including a 25-year-old Detroit man whose family says his legacy lives on through the lives he helped save.
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The memorial, called a "Hero Tree," will be unveiled to the public Saturday in the lobby of Sinai-Grace Hospital on Detroit's west side. Each leaf on the tree tells a story of selflessness and heroism.
For the Punter family, the memorial serves as a reminder that even after Brandon Punter's death at just 25, he's still helping others to live.
On Feb. 5, 2021, Punter was driving his girlfriend and his five nephews home from a day of sledding when tragedy struck. The family says a car cut Brandon off while they were driving home, and moments later, gunfire erupted.
"The car sped past him, jumped in front of him, slammed on brakes. Brandon blew the horn, went around, and proceeded to come home," Lisa Punter said. "The car pulled up, rolled down the window, and fired in the car."
Loved ones say Brandon, a CPL holder, returned fire, protecting his nephews and girlfriend.
"He said they just shot Brandon. I wasn't really comprehending because I had just got home from having a stroke," Lisa Punter said. "When I bent and I turned the corner and I seen his eyes, I knew it was something really tragic."
At the hospital, his parents made the decision to carry on his heroic legacy through organ donation.
"Let him be an organ donor, and he can still save other people," Charles Punter said. "The gift keeps on giving, you know. Brandon was a hero then, and he's going to be a hero after. It was like this is, this is his legacy."
FULL INTERVIEW: Charles and Lisa Punter talk about their son
Now, Brandon, along with 26 other donors, is being remembered for their selflessness. Sinai-Grace Hospital in Detroit is unveiling the Hero Tree, where the names and legacies of these donors will continue to live on.
"My baby is gonna be remembered for doing something so special," Lisa Punter said.
Dr. Alexander Marinica, associate trial medical director and general surgeon at Sinai-Grace, says the memorial is a powerful symbol of what organ donation can mean.
"It's a really special way to, out of tragedy, have something positive and have something that people can associate a happy memory with, otherwise the worst thing, the worst day of their lives," Marinica said. "One of the greatest things that we as human beings can do is to give life to other human beings. And this is a way to be able to give the most ultimate gift, which is to make sure that somebody that would otherwise die can continue to live."
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