Parents of crash victim to teach South Callaway students about organ donation

Shelly and Wes Sconce, whose son Braeden died in a crash last year, will give a presentation Thursday teaching seniors at South Callaway High School about organ donation.

“We’re going to give to them the basic education of, you know, different facts and different things that maybe they’re unaware of,” Shelly said. “We’re going to share with them how Braeden’s organ donations … affected 24 different lives in 23 different areas around the United States and South America.”

Shelly is a teacher at South Callaway, and Braeden was a recent graduate from the high school. Following Braeden’s death, Shelly and Wes became ambassadors for Midwest Transplant Network.

In 2018, Gov. Mike Parson signed House Bill 2129 into law, requiring students in public schools receive 30 minutes of instruction regarding information about organ donation before graduating.

The law does not go into effect until the 2019-20 school year, but Shelly said she and Wes approached South Callaway with the idea of starting it a year early. They’ve been allotted 50 minutes for the presentation, she added.

Shelly said the presentation will teach students how many people are awaiting organs — currently 114,000 — and address misconceptions about being an organ donor, such as if it’ll prevent an open casket or that it’ll cost a donor’s family money.

They will also teach students about what it means to be a living donor, she added.

“It’s not just about donating your heart and your liver and all these major organs, but it’s also beyond that when you start taking into consideration eyes and tissue,” Shelly said.

Because of his injuries, Braeden could not donate major organs. Still, what he could donate helped 24 people, Shelly added.