Ely Dehart

Ely loved basketball and football, fishing, camping, hunting – typical boy stuff.

Basketball was the main sport though and he absolutely loved his SEM team in Sumner, Nebraska. The Mustangs were not only his team but they are his family and that team shows their love and support for Ely to this day. Those boys still hug us at every game we make it to before and after, always.

Ely was a very loving kid. He knew how to make anyone smile and loved to hug everyone.

Let me tell you a story. I come home after a rough day at work and I was a little upset with my kids for not doing something. I just got home and had a few groceries in my hand. Ely came around the corner and said ‘Mom just hug me’ and my eyes filled with tears. I dropped them groceries and hugged my baby so tight. That’s one memory I will cherish for an eternity.

Ely was a great big brother, too He always tried to play the role of dad because dad was not around a lot and my kids would all agree he was good at it.

I have had so many kids in the communities tell me how he had helped them in so many different ways. That was Ely, always trying to make everyone smile and laugh and feel good about themselves.

Ely’s donation meant the world to us because that’s what he wanted. He told us this the day he got his driver’s license – that he wanted to be an organ donor like me and my husband were.

Donating Ely’s organs also helps us all cope with the loss of him because we continue to hear from the recipients and know parts of our baby are still out there living on in others. He is a hero for doing so and that makes us all so proud. Don’t get me wrong, though. We have always been proud of Ely.