CENTERVILLE, Ohio (WDTN) - A local couple donates their baby's organs and gets national recognition. When little Isaiah Jones got sick in his crib, his parents could not imagine his eventual death would create so many benefits.

By the time Isaiah Jerome Jones was six months old, he had two teeth and was conquering milestones like rolling over, learning to crawl and standing with assistance. He was a good eater, weighing in at 23 pounds. He loved his cat, his dog and the music on his Baby Einstein tapes. “As long as he had a bottle and Baby Einstein, nothing could go wrong,” said his mother Leighann Jones, 22, of Centerville.

CENTERVILLE — Isaiah Jerome Jones was supposed to have a long life, but instead he will have a legacy. After 7-month-old Isaiah died and his donated organs saved the lives of two other children, his aunt signed up to be a donor. So did a cousin who just earned her driver’s license. And there will be those touched by the image of the chubby-faced boy with the cowlick on the Donate Life Rose Bowl float. Tim and Leighann Jones hope others will be inspired to sign donor cards.

Licking Heights High School teacher and coach Mike Vyrostek will represent and honor the late Mike Craig of Johnstown when he rides on the Donate Life float Jan. 1 in the annual Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, Calif. Vyrostek, known as "Mr. V," helped finish decorating a floral portrait of Mike Craig at Columbus' Lifeline of Ohio on Dec. 11, along with Craig's wife Gail and adult children Chris and Molly Craig.

The season of giving is upon us. As we enjoy shopping for the perfect gifts to give, we should consider those who are hoping for a gift they won’t find wrapped neatly as a holiday present — a second chance at life. Right now, more than 105,000 Americans are waiting for a life-saving organ transplant. Sadly, not enough people say “yes” to give the “Gift of Life” through organ and tissue donation.

NEWARK - Karen Cowger has many reasons to celebrate the holiday season this year and is looking forward to doing each one. This will be her first Christmas since having a lung transplant operation last January. "This is my second chance at life," the Newark resident said. "I am doing as much as I can in my church; doing stuff with my grandkids again that we weren't able to do before."

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Tuesday night at the Columbus Airport Mariott, Lifeline of Ohio honored pediatric organ and tissue donors who gave the “gift of life” in 2009. Each of the families that attended the ceremony received a replica of a dedicated rose that will ride on the Donate Life Roase Parade Float during the Tournament of Roses Parade on Friday in Pasadena.

There's power in the words painted on Jim and Ann Eckard's family room wall. They read, "Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away." Jim's moments are told by dates.

Mike Craig's organs could not be donated in 2003, but his tissue could. That revelation opened doors Craig's widow, Gail, never could have imagined.

Mike Vyrostek is already indebted to a good friend for rescuing his doomed football career and introducing him to his future wife. Now he can thank Chris Craig for a trip to the Rose Bowl, too. Vyrostek, 25, of Pataskala, will participate in the nationally televised Tournament of Roses Parade on New Year's Day, riding on the Donate Life float with 23 other transplant recipients.