Brooklyn resident Nicholas, 14, was a straight A student who always made the Dean’s List and spent his free time tutoring his classmates. He loved playing basketball and going to wrestling shows. Born premature, Nicholas was a fighter who his father called “my little miracle man.”
Tragedy struck when he was hit by a car in June 2014 in Red Hook while on his way to school. When it became clear that Nicholas would not survive, his family was asked to consider donating his organs.
“Losing a child is the hardest thing,” his father, Eddie, said. “But when they asked us if we wanted to donate his organs it was an easy answer. Nicholas had a giving soul and he would want to help others have a second chance at life.”
In the years since Nicholas’ passing, Eddie says organ donation has brought his family comfort.
“I’m so proud of him,” Eddie says. “It brings me so much joy to know that he is living on in others.”
These days Eddie volunteers for LiveOnNY and shares his story in the hopes that it will help other parents in his situation.
“I want people to know that you don’t have to go through this alone,” he says. “And I want them to know that organ donation is a gift not just to the recipients, but also to the donor’s family. It has brought me some peace.”
August marks National Multiethnic Donor Awareness Month, an initiative dedicated to saving and improving lives in diverse communities by creating a positive culture for organ, eye and tissue donation. 75% of those waiting in the greater New York City area for a lifesaving organ transplant are people of color. Because of this, the initiative focuses on healthy living habits that may prevent the need for an organ transplant while also raising awareness about the power of donation in multiethnic communities. To learn more, please visit LiveOnNY.org.
