Rachelle Adrian was supposed to be studying to be an elementary school school teacher. She was supposed to be on her way to share her new motorcycle with a friend just a few miles from her home on Super Bowl Sunday night.
She was supposed to survive the ride.
"It's kinda sad when your children die before you do," says Rachelle's father, Gary Adrian. "She was 25 years old and full of life. She cared about a lot of people."
Just after 8 p.m. on Feb. 1, Rachelle promised a friend she'd come by to show off her new motorcycle. But that two mile ride lasted only a few blocks from her Lancaster home.
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies say a car may have been pulling out of a mobile home park on Avenue I near East 20th Street, and they say Rachelle may have over-reacted to the driver's intentions, losing control of the bike.
Her brother Jhayrieson Adrian got word of the accident through a text from a friend.
"He said there was a motorcycle accident in Lancaster with a female," he said, "I called her multiple times again and she wasn't picking up so I called the hospital and sure enough she was there."
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Doctors told her family there was little hope of survival.
"They said she flew like 60 feet," her father, Gary says. "There was a little hope that she would survive but they did some tests to see if she was getting oxygen or blood to her brain but she was brain dead."
After nearly a week in the intensive care unit, and upon learning Rachelle had signed up to be an organ donor when she renewed her California driver’s license, the family made the decision to say goodbye.
"I know she's the kind of person who would want us to be happy and not be sad," Gary says. “She cared more about other people than herself."
Even in those last minutes at Antelope Valley Hospital, it seemed Rachelle continued to give back.
"My daughter never told me that she was an organ donor," Gary says. His daughter was able to give her liver and her kidneys to two different people.
"So my daughter helped save two lives," he says.
It's a comfort for a family still grieving tremendous loss, but still so thankful for the support around them. Rachelle's family says some 200 people came to visit her in the hospital, even though she never awoke from her coma.
“All that love has allowed us to help deal with this situation a lot better," says brother Jhayreison. "If we didn't have all that love, it would be a lot harder for us."
And while the family does not know the identities of those who will benefit from the organ donations, Rachelle's father says he appreciates the idea that his daughter's life continues.
"It makes me feel good that a part of my daughter is still alive."
The family still has to pay for the medical expenses and are preparing for a funeral in the next week. A family friend has set up an account at this link: www.gofundme.com/lod7pg for anyone wishing to help defray some of the costs.
