One Final Gift: Slain Man Saves Lives of Others

The man slain during a March armed robbery has given one final gift, the gift of life to those waiting for organ donations. 

Maraleius Birdsong of North Charleston had his entire life ahead of him. At 20 years old, he had taken a job as a pizza deliveryman to help pay his way through school. .

On Dec. 17, Birdsong's mother Teresa Gardner will meet with the recipient of his heart in a private meeting. The recipient is from the Pee Dee area. The agency LifePoint described the event as "seldom" where a family member meets the recipient of a loved one's organ. 

LifePoint is the designated organ procurement organization for organ recovery services in the state.

In honor of Birdsong's gift, he will be memorialized in a floragraph (artistic floral portrait) on a float during the 2013 Donate Life Rose Parade Float Jan. 1 in Padadena, Calif. Birdsong is the first donor from the Charleston area to receive this recognition and the fifth donor from South Carolina.

The floragraph will be finished by his friends and family during a private decorating ceremony 9:30 a.m. Dec. 18 at the LifePoint office in North Charleston. 

The floragraph will then join the 71 other floragraphs for assembly onto the parade float. 

The Donate Life Rose Parade float entry “One More Day” will transport 30 riders representing deceased organ, eye and tissue donors, living donors, and transplant recipients through a magical, heart-filled world encompassing the highs and lows that life has to offer. A pathway of looping hearts is lined with 72 memorial floragraph portraits of deceased donors who are remembered every step of the way. 

Gardner will be flown out to view the parade.