FINDLAY — Jason Leone had seen a huge image of a young man from Norwalk encouraging organ donation on the sides of Hyway Trucking Co. vehicles for years.

But he had no idea that the face of Dylan Flew, who died in a motorcycle accident in 2006, was the donor of his own pancreas.

Mr. Leone, 41, of Findlay has suffered from diabetes nearly all his life. He was diagnosed at age 13 and by the time he reached his early 30s, he had “bottomed out.” He was told he needed a pancreas transplant.

He couldn’t work while he waited about 10 months on the transplant list. Then on July 30, 2006, he received a call. There was a donor.

Mr. Flew had been out doing one of the things he loved — riding his motorcycle. His mother, Kathi Flew, said the entire family loves to ride. One of Mr. Flew’s friends lost control of his motorcycle while the group was riding on a back road in Norwalk, and hit Mr. Flew’s bike.

His mother and father, Russ Flew, were told by doctors that their 20-year-old son had opted to be an organ donor.

Mr. Leone was one of five who received life-saving organs from Mr. Flew. Another 80 received tissue donations, his mother said.

“He donated his lungs and liver. Two people got kidneys and Jason got the pancreas,” Mrs. Flew said.

More than eight years after fate connected them, the two families came face-to-face in Findlay, in a conference room at the Hyway Trucking office. The company has been partnering with Life Connections of Ohio for years in campaigns to raise awareness about the importance of organ donation.

“Dylan is on the back of about 400 of their semi trailers,” his mother said.

Added Mr. Leone: “I was seeing him constantly ever since I got the transplant. I had seen his picture on the trucks for several years but I didn’t know it was him.”

Meeting Mr. Flew’s parents gave Mr. Leone a chance to say thank you, he said.

“It was great. I was nervous at first but after I met them I felt like everybody was family. They made me feel like I was actually part of the family. We are actually talking about doing stuff together this summer,” Mr. Leone said.

For the Flew family, the meeting is one of several they’ve had in recent years with organ recipients.

They met a Cleveland man last fall who received their son’s liver and they have attended regional events called the Transplant Games that are attended by hundreds of organ recipients.

Mrs. Flew said these meetings are part of the family’s on-going therapy.

“We had already talked on Facebook to Jason. We met his whole family and gave them all hugs. I’m proud that someone like that is taking care of that organ,” Mrs. Flew said.

The Flews, including their son Cody, spend much time now educating people about the organ-donation process. They work closely with Life Connection of Ohio, but it took several years of grieving before the family was ready to meet their son’s organ recipients, Mrs. Flew said.

“You have to believe that things are meant to be and you have to make the best you can out of such a tragic event,” she said.

Mr. Flew’s picture hangs on the wall in the Ohio Department of Motor Vehicles’ office in Norwalk. The hope is when drivers are asked, “Would you like to be an organ donor?,” the hometown donor’s photo will inspire them.

It seems to be working. The small community of Norwalk consistently ranks near the top of northwest Ohio communities in terms of the percentage of drivers who choose to be donors.

For the month of January, Bowling Green was number one with nearly 69 percent of drivers selecting to be donors, followed by Norwalk at just over 67 percent.

In Toledo, nearly 57 percent of residents with driver’s licenses or state IDs chose to be donors that month, said Kara Steele, director of community services for Life Connection of Ohio.

Despite these numbers, there are more people who need organs than those who are willing to donate in Ohio, Ms. Steele said.

Several myths about the donation process keep some from registering, she said.

“The biggest myth out there is people are afraid if I say yes on my driver’s license then the doctors will not work as hard to save my life if something happens. That is not true. Doctors are there to save lives,” Ms. Steele said.

In most cases, doctors and other medical staff would not be aware that a person is a donor upon arrival in a hospital emergency room. Doctors do not have access to the donor registration list, she said.

Ms. Steele said sometimes people think they are too old or too sick to donate organs. But that all depends on individual circumstances.

“The oldest donor on record is 92 years old, but the percentage of people who can give does go down with age,” she said.

Ms. Steele encourages those who have registered to inform friends and family so they won’t be surprised — like the Flew family was.

“When they brought it up to us that he was a donor, it was a load off our shoulders to know that was a choice he made and we just had to honor it,” Mrs. Flew said.

Mr. Leone said initially he was afraid when he was told a donor had been found. He said his wife had to force him to go to the hospital.

He is grateful now for her persistence and for the decision made by Mr. Flew to be an organ donor.

Since receiving his new pancreas, he said his life is much better.

“I have a lot more energy. I don’t have diabetes. I’m shot free and I can eat anything I want,” he said.

He still sees Mr. Flew’s picture on the trucks from time to time, but now he looks at it in a different way. He has more appreciation for him.

That picture of Mr. Flew on the trucks has created a phenomenon called “Dylan sightings.”

People around the country reach out to the family by Facebook or text and let them know when they spot his smiling face on a truck.

“We have gotten hundreds of messages from all over the country,” Mrs. Flew said.

Contact Marlene Harris-Taylor at mtaylor@theblade.com or 419-724-6091.

First Published February 23, 2015, 5:00 a.m.