Gift From Teen Killed 3 Years Ago Helps 7 Live
Reg Chapman Reporting (WCCO)
Minneapolis - Lawmakers in New York are looking at some sweeping changes dealing with organ donation. A proposed bill would make every person an organ donor if they don't opt out. It would create an organ donation system like ones used in several European countries.
A Minneapolis teenager's decision to be an organ donor is still changing lives.
"He was murdered. Drive-by shooting in February 2007. He wasn't the intended victim," said mother Pamela Wright.
Wright said in her grief after her son Ricardo Walker was murdered, she remembered something he said years before his murder.
"One day he looked at my license and saw that I was a donor and he said he wanted to be one and I remembered that he explained to me he wanted to be an organ donor," said Wright.
Wright said recalling that conversation allowed her to make a decision that has changed her life forever.
"As soon as I realized he wasn't going to make it, I let them know he is to be an organ donor," said Wright.
Walker's organs and tissue gave seven people a second chance.
"I got the letter and a picture of the 17-year-old who received his kidneys and I know there was a gentleman who received the lungs. A 65-year-old lady received his heart," said Wright said.
Wright is in contact with four people who received the gift of life from her son. His tissue continues to help others.
"About 10 percent of our families have direct contact with their loved one's recipients," said Rebecca Ousley, public affairs coordinator for LifeSource organ and tissue donation.
Ousley said there is a huge need for organ and tissue donors. In Minnesota, 2,600 people are waiting for the generosity of a complete stranger
"There's more than 106,000 people across the United States today waiting for a life-saving organ transplant. If you think about that, that's enough people to fill target field two-and-a-half times," said Ousley.
The need for organ donors led Wright to get involved. Wright was given an award for educating others about the importance of organ donation.
"This means a lot because it shows how he was appreciated by saving other lives after his life was gone," said Wright.
"Make that donation and that decision before anything happens, may it be good or bad, so that your family does not have to be put through the stress, in a sense, of being given that question right after you pass," she added.
A Minneapolis teenager's decision to be an organ donor is still changing lives.
"He was murdered. Drive-by shooting in February 2007. He wasn't the intended victim," said mother Pamela Wright.
Wright said in her grief after her son Ricardo Walker was murdered, she remembered something he said years before his murder.
"One day he looked at my license and saw that I was a donor and he said he wanted to be one and I remembered that he explained to me he wanted to be an organ donor," said Wright.
Wright said recalling that conversation allowed her to make a decision that has changed her life forever.
"As soon as I realized he wasn't going to make it, I let them know he is to be an organ donor," said Wright.
Walker's organs and tissue gave seven people a second chance.
"I got the letter and a picture of the 17-year-old who received his kidneys and I know there was a gentleman who received the lungs. A 65-year-old lady received his heart," said Wright said.
Wright is in contact with four people who received the gift of life from her son. His tissue continues to help others.
"About 10 percent of our families have direct contact with their loved one's recipients," said Rebecca Ousley, public affairs coordinator for LifeSource organ and tissue donation.
Ousley said there is a huge need for organ and tissue donors. In Minnesota, 2,600 people are waiting for the generosity of a complete stranger
"There's more than 106,000 people across the United States today waiting for a life-saving organ transplant. If you think about that, that's enough people to fill target field two-and-a-half times," said Ousley.
The need for organ donors led Wright to get involved. Wright was given an award for educating others about the importance of organ donation.
"This means a lot because it shows how he was appreciated by saving other lives after his life was gone," said Wright.
"Make that donation and that decision before anything happens, may it be good or bad, so that your family does not have to be put through the stress, in a sense, of being given that question right after you pass," she added.
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