In a family photo of Belle and Steve Autry, clutching their curly-haired toddler Gabriella and their dog Charlie, their faces shine with that gentle combination of bliss and fatigue new parents know so well. When that photo appeared on the front page of this newspaper just over a week ago, it evoked the deep ache of their tragic loss.

The Autrys called their daughter Gabby their “miracle baby,” because it took them eight years to conceive her. On May 23 a reckless driver crashed into Belle Autry’s car and caused the severe head injuries that ended Gabby’s life.

And yet, in the middle of a horror that would have left most of us unimaginably distraught, Belle and Steve Autry chose generosity and hope. They donated Gabby’s tiny heart, liver and kidneys to three other children awaiting transplants that week.

Gabby’s organs went to children in Colorado, Seattle and San Francisco. No doubt her parents’ gift inspired many other families to discuss their plans for organ donation, too.

The procedure allows 21st century medical technology to help transform timeless human tragedy. And now it also follows a new protocol, which has the potential to significantly increase organ donations.

In recent years, patients were required to be declared brain dead, as was Gabby Autry, before their organs could be retrieved. This new protocol follows cardiac death instead. It requires first the family’s decision to remove a dying patient’s life support. Within a few minutes after the heart stops beating, surgery to remove organs may begin.

Thankfully, medical ethicists continue to debate this new protocol. Their discussion will help ensure that hospitals maintain the highest ethical standards and practical procedures for these profound donations.

At Sacred Heart Medical Center, for example, families make the decision about withdrawing life support separately from discussion about organ donation. Life support is withdrawn in the intensive care unit, where the dying patient is valued and comforted with dignity, often surrounded by family. After the heart stops beating, the patient is moved into the operating room, where a separate transplant team steps in.

Dan Ritchie, a transplant center chaplain, says families often appreciate the chance to choose organ donation, regardless of the protocol. “When you approach a family for organs or for tissue,” he told Spokesman-Review reporter JoNel Aleccia, “it is remarkable. It takes it from an area of just total grief to an area of just total hope. It is the most powerful thing.”

Even after her death, Belle and Steve Autry’s miracle baby works wonders still.