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Breanna Leigh's Full Story
Breanna Leigh Chadwick, “Bree” to most, was the kind of person you felt the moment she walked into a space. Radiant. Bold. Fiercely loyal. The kind of girl who could make you laugh without even trying and make you feel like you belonged without even knowing you. Bree had a spark that couldn’t be taught and a heart that loved deeply.
Bree was equal parts sweetness and sass. She was sharp, funny, honest in the most refreshing way, and confident without being showy. She didn’t walk into a room and demand attention. She just naturally became the center of it, because people were drawn to her.
She loved her people hard. Family and friends were the core of her world, and her bond with her younger sister, Kirstin, was something rare, equal parts best friends, partners in crime, and each other’s safe place. Bree’s faith mattered to her, too. It wasn’t something she performed. It was the compass she followed.
She was also a natural athlete. Softball, basketball, lacrosse, Bree did it all. But what people remember most wasn’t just talent, it was how she played: with heart, humility, and relentless support for her teammates. She cheered loud, played hard, and showed up for the people around her, on and off the field.
Bree loved the simple things that somehow always felt big when she was in them: sunshine, wagon rides, backroad adventures, and nights around the fire with her favorite people. She could do cowboy boots or mascara and designer jeans, sometimes both, and make it look effortless. Kids adored her. Animals followed her. Strangers became friends in minutes. Bree had that rare ability to make people feel seen, heard, and valued.
The night that changed everything...
At 12:02 AM on July 8, 2022, Bree and her family were at an event they had attended for years, long before Bree was even born. It was a place known for laughs, fun, fellowship, and familiar faces. A young man, a family friend, was riding a horse in what’s commonly called an arena race.
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In a split second, things went wrong. The rider began to fall and used the reins to balance. Kirstin saw immediately that the horse wasn’t going to stop. Instinct kicked in. Kirstin and Bree ran to close the gate.
The horse didn’t see the gate in time. It ran directly into it, with Bree holding the gate. The impact hit Bree hard on her left temple, knocking her to the ground. She was lifeless on impact.
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Within moments, spectators and family friends were on the ground with her, doing everything they could until EMTs arrived. Bree was taken by ambulance to Murray County Hospital, and then she was life-flighted to Erlanger.
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At 7:29 AM, the family was told Bree had zero brain activity.
The choice Bree made years earlier...
In the middle of shock and heartbreak, the family made a decision immediately, because Bree had already made it long before that day.
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At 15 years old, Bree had signed up to be an organ donor.
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From the very first conversations with doctors, the family shared clearly that they wanted Bree’s organs to be donated. Those next few days were unimaginably heavy, and that’s putting it lightly.
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And in the middle of it, something happened that we will never forget.
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Bree’s Honor Walk was lined wall to wall with our village. People stood down the halls, singing. They sang for Bree, and they sang for us. Kirstin made us promise we wouldn’t cry, which somehow made us laugh, because it was so her to try to keep everybody together even while everything was falling apart.
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I was set on no videos. I couldn’t handle the idea of it. But I’m so grateful for the people who knew me well enough to record anyway, because they knew I’d want them one day, when I was ready.
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The music and the singing carried us in ways I can’t fully explain. They sang in the hospital room. They sang down the hall. They sang at the funeral home. They knew we needed it, and they knew Bree would have loved it.
Bree’s decision to be a donor went on to save three lives.
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Bree’s heart now beats in Renee Wheat, a woman who was preparing to say goodbye to her family just days before the transplant. Bree’s other organs brought hope to recipients across Tennessee and Indiana, including a mother and grandmother who now get more time, more memories, and more life with the people who need them.
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Bree’s story is a reminder that organ donation is not just a checkbox on a form. It’s birthdays that still happen. Families that get more time. Love continuing, even after loss.
The days after...
The days following Bree’s passing brought a kind of grief that no family is ever ready to carry. And at the same time, it revealed something powerful: the size of Bree’s impact.
Hundreds of friends and family came to sit with the family. The funeral at her family church brought a crowd that reflected what everyone already knew, Bree was deeply loved.
Bree was carried to her final resting place by some of her best friends. One young man who was like a brother drove a Razor, while another helped haul Bree and friends to the graveside. It was sacred. It was personal. It was the kind of love that shows up when words stop working.
And the love didn’t end there. Bree has been honored in countless ways since, through moments of silence, prayers, tributes, and acts of kindness done in her name. In 2024, Reinhardt University honored Bree during what would have been her college graduation, a moment that mattered deeply because Bree’s heart was set on becoming a teacher.
Bree also received a commendation from Brian Kemp, Governor of Georgia. And her lacrosse team retired her jersey, #18, a lasting symbol that she mattered, and she still does.
How we carry Bree forward...
To carry her legacy forward, Bree’s family created Bree’s Legacy, a foundation rooted in the way Bree lived: full of compassion, generosity, and joy.
Bree’s Legacy exists to keep Bree’s love moving through the world, not as a memorial that stays still, but as momentum that keeps showing up. Through organ donation awareness, outreach, and support for people who need it most, we’re doing what Bree would do if she were standing right here.
Bree may no longer be here physically, but her story continues. Her kindness echoes. Her impact lives on. And through the foundation that bears her name, she’s still changing lives, just like she always did.
Sunrise & Sunset
Breanna Leigh Chadwick
Sunrise: January 26, 2002
Sunset: July 8, 2022
