An estimated 200 people gathered in Kane'ohe today for the Organ Donor Center of Hawai'i's annual Donor Family Recognition Ceremony.

The event featured a quilt honoring organ donors and testimonials from organ-donation recipients and the families of organ donors.

The highlight of the day for Dennis Cuizon was meeting the family of the man whose heart was gifted to him.

Lenny Uyetake died on Jan. 16, 2008, at the age of 43 after suffering a massive stroke. An organ donor, he left a living legacy by bequeathing his heart, liver and kidneys to three Hawai'i residents. Cuizon, 62, of Pearl City, was one of them.

Alton Uyetake, Lenny's older brother, called today's meeting with Cuizon bittersweet, but said he was deeply touched to make a connection with the man in whom his brother's heart still beats.

"We wanted to tell him about Lenny, and about how much we loved him," said Uyetake, 46, of Hilo. "We hoped that he would accept us, and he did. We couldn't ask for anything more."

According to the Organ Donor Center of Hawai'i, approximately 375 seriously ill people in the state await heart, liver, kidney or pancreas transplants. About 12 people die each year still waiting.

For more on this story, see tomorrow's Honolulu Advertiser.