Little Chute girl gives gift of organs, tissues
Published: July 31, 2006
A few years ago, Tiffany Bougie decided to honor her mother, a breast cancer survivor, by donating her hair to help make wigs for cancer patients.
The Locks of Love donation was an example of the thoughtful spirit of the energetic young girl who had suffered since infancy with periodic epileptic seizures.
Bougie, the daughter of Richard and Joan Bougie, died unexpectedly at home Thursday apparently from complications of her seizure disorder. Now, she has become a donor once again as her family opted to offer her organs and tissues for donation.
“We wanted at least some good to come of all of this,” Joan Bougie said. “We told them to take and use what they could.”
Outagamie County Coroner Ruth Wulgaert praised the family’s decision to donate organs and tissues.
“We can never take away the suffering that has occurred with a family,” Wulgaert said. “But if they can find that their loved one has actually helped someone else (through donations), that might take away some of the hurt.”
Joan Bougie recalled her daughter’s excitement over cutting off about 12 inches of her hair for a good cause. “She is a tomboy and she wanted to have short hair for a long time,” she said. “That she could have short hair and give it away was a plus-plus for her.”
Tiffany started having seizures at 3 months old. They continued occasionally until she was about 5, when a medication was found to control them. She had been seizure-free for about six years until July 4, when she had several seizures.
Wulgaert said additional testing is ongoing but all indications are that Tiffany’s death was related to her medical condition.
Joan Bougie said her daughter thrived on the competing with her three older brothers.
“She loved playing basketball and she had a brown belt in karate,” she said. “She just made everybody smile.”
Mom and daughter also enjoyed their summer trips to a country music festival in Rhinelander. “She was my little traveling buddy,” she said. “She loved having that week away with me and my mom and aunts.”
Joan Bougie thinks the decision to donate Tiffany’s organs and tissues may help the grieving process.
“It would be really neat to know that somebody could see through her eyes in the future or that somebody’s life could be saved because of a small part of her,” Bougie said.
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