DENVER -- Even after her death, Platte Canyon High School student Emily Keyes found a way of giving when she became an organ donor and donated her cornea to a very grateful recipient.

Keyes, who was killed by a gunman in a hostage situation at Platte Canyon High School last year, is named in a legislative bill. Her parents have become advocates for the donor program named Show Us Your Heart.

Before her death, Keyes made a conscious decision to become an organ donor.

A recipient, 63-year-old Julius Britto, received a cornea transplant at Presbyterian St. Luke's Hospital.

He met with Keyes' family for the first time Wednesday since he received the transplant.

"I'm thankful for the give of sight," he said.

The retired New York police officer was losing his eyesight, and after receiving one of Keyes' corneas, he can now see clearly.

"In my feeling that I should help others, today I am a donor. I have it on my card," he added.

"At 15 years old, she made a decision and that decision changed lives," said Keyes' father John-Michael Keyes.

"There are times, too, when I think, 'This is all I'm ever going to see of my daughter again, and thank you,'" said Keyes' mother Ellen Stoddard-Keyes.

"I thank Emily for being a donor," Britto said.

"You're a part of our family whether you like it or not," Stoddard-Keyes said.

Keyes' other cornea was donated to a man in his 20s in Florida. Though very grateful, he said he doesn't want to come forward at this point.

The donor organ program has grown steadily over the years, but officials said it could still be improved.

When it unveiled in 1998, 33 percent of Coloradans were donors. The number is now more than 60 percent.

In Wyoming, 85 percent of residents are currently signed up as donors.