ORLANDO, Fla. — Editor's note: The video in this story is from a previous interview with Megan's sister, Carolyn Hostetler.
Two Georgia Bulldogs fans are being honored for their inspiring organ donation story. This week, Megan Twist, who was honored posthumously, and Richard Bremer were awarded the 2024 Disney Spirit Award.
Earlier this year, 11Alive reported on Twist and Bremer's story. Twist, an Athens native and devoted Dawgs fan, died tragically at the age of 23 in a 2016 accident. But it was not the end of her story.
Bremer had been on a transplant waiting list for three years when he got the call that he would be receiving new lungs. He didn't know it at that moment, but he would soon know they were Twist's. Bremer's life was one of five lives Twist saved.
Bremer previously recounted his transplant surgery was extremely difficult and that he essentially flatlined for a portion of it. Bremer said he made a spiritual connection with Twist at that time.
"I got to meet Megan. She said, 'It wasn't my time, I couldn't stay there,'" Bremer recalled. "She said, 'She'd be breathing for me, and she came back with me.'"
Bremer described Twist's calming influence and touch throughout the rest of the surgery, and he felt pieces of her wove into him.
One of those pieces wound up being her beloved Georgia Bulldogs, which was strange for Bremer, certainly, as a lifelong Florida Gators fan.
"I woke up as a Georgia fan," he said. "Breathing red and black now, that's just the way it is."
This week, Bremer accepted the Disney Spirit Award at Walt Disney World. They are the 29th award recipients, celebrating acts of kindness and generosity.
“I celebrate (Twist’s organ donation) every day when I wake up,” Bremer said in a release. “Getting to breathe every day, having her as a part of my life. She’s with me every day. Getting to bring her to Walt Disney World with me and receive the Spirit Award, I’m carrying her spirit with me.”
Check out photos as Bremer received the award below:
To learn more about organ donation and to register to be a donor, click here.