At the darkest point in her life, Roschelle Ogbuji found a way to bring light into the lives of two other families — families she doesn’t know; families she may never know.What she does know for sure is that it was the right thing to do.Her spiritual journey is such a compelling one that doctors, nurses and other staff at Akron Children’s Hospital, its Burn Unit in particular, flocked to a reception Tuesday morning for the woman and the mother they came to know four years ago.They were curious and hard pressed to believe that this woman who lost so much — the night of Dec. 1, 2007, — is still standing.An electrical fire — which destroyed her home in Shaker Heights — claimed the lives of her three daughters. Six-year-old Imose and 2-year-old Chika died in the fire. Fourteen-month-old Anya, who was transported to the hospital’s Burn Unit, lingered three days on life support.The family’s pain was palpable.Even so and much to the surprise of the hospital’s staff, Roschelle Ogbuji had come back to thank them for caring for Anya in such a tender way.Her presence and her message were powerful.Not out of her own strength or courage had she returned, Ogbuji insisted.But rather as part of “Anya’s Purpose.” In fact, most everything that’s happened in her life these last four years has been as a result of Anya’s Purpose, she continued.As much as Roschelle Ogbuji and her husband, Chimezie, a biomedical informatics researcher at Case Western Reserve University, had hoped, Anya’s purpose was not to live but to live on.So, they made the decision to donate her organs — including her heart and lungs.Because of that gift, two other children are alive today. Anya’s heart was given to an 18-month-old boy and her liver, pancreas and small intestine were given to another child.Through giving — donating her daughter’s organs — this mother has found purpose, too.Part of that is advocating on behalf of Donate Life America and Lifebanc of Northeast Ohio, encouraging Americans to become organ donors.“Another family needed what Anya had so they could experience the joy we had,” was how Ogbuji, 37, explained it. “Anya was born to bring life to our family and when she died, she brought life to another. “Even though the circumstance was tragic, losing three children in one night, the saving grace was the gift of donation. Literally, beauty, life and hope came from ashes of our burned house,” she continued. “What I know for sure from this experience, is that Anya was called by God with a purpose to give life to others and my calling from God was to deliver the message of donate life.”Currently in the United States, more than 112,000 people are awaiting a life-saving organ transplant. Thousands more need corneas and tissue to prevent or cure blindness, heal burns or save limbs.Because of the Ogbujis’ decision — made in the midst of unspeakable pain — and the work Roschelle Ogbuji is doing on behalf of organ donation, Anya will be honored Jan. 2 at the 123rd Rose Parade on the Donate Life Float, which has as its theme One More Day.Anya will be one of 72 faces of organ donors or transplant recipients depicted in floragraph portraits, made of organic floral materials such as cinnamon, coffee and sugar.“The floragraph portraits will be featured on huge floral timepieces that remind us of the preciousness of time we have to spend with our loved ones,” said Andrea Stricker, Roschelle Ogbuji dearest friend and partner in a public relations venture.Ogbuji and Stricker, who are African-American, made a special appeal for the minority community to embrace the urgent message of organ donation.“Everyone,” she believes, “has a calling. Our real job in life is to figure out what that is and do it. “I had a choice to live or to die on the inside. I chose life! Anya’s life tells a story that brings about change. In every way and every day, I show people exactly how I am healing. I share our story and acknowledge that Anya’s dying was not in vain.“No life is too short to impact change!”Since the deaths of her three daughters, Ogbuji has been blessed with two other daughters — ages 2 and 1. Right before the tragedy, the Ogbujis — both college graduates — were living what they envisioned as the American dream. They were gainfully employed, had a house in the suburbs and a beautiful family.To help them heal, the community — local companies and individual donors — came together to build them a new home. Stricker submitted the Ogbujis’ story to Nate Berkus — a design expert with a TV show of the same name — who surprised the family by designing their living room in eight hours while Roschelle Ogbuji slept.Ogbuji, who says her life is one in progress, acknowledged that people deal with grief in different ways. She was no exception.“Some [people] turn to vices,” she said. “For me it was cupcakes. I ate my feelings for a while. I ate the grief instead of processing the feelings. I was up to 370 pounds.”Today, Roschelle Ogbuji is managing her weight and finding laughter in life again.And she’s refusing to allow cupcakes to trip her up.“It’s a thing called grace! God’s grace,” she revealed as her secret.And, of course, Anya’s Purpose.Jewell Cardwell can be reached at 330-996-3567 or emailed at jcardwell@thebeaconjournal.com.