By: Ken Mac Leod | WBZ 38
Mark Harrington brought his wife and daughter from upstate New York to Lowell City Hall Saturday afternoon, knowing they'd be surrounded by families still grieving for murdered loved ones, including Lee Fickenworth.
"But when I saw (Mark) this time, I started crying. It was very emotional."
Emotional because of what forever connected the pair 15 months ago. That's when Lee's son, Gabriel Gonzalez, was shot dead on the street near his Lowell home.
Despite her pain, she won't make excuses for her son's gangbanging ways, even though she saw his better side. "He was a kind, loving child, regardless of what people say about him."
Perhaps that's why she decided to have his organs donated – to somehow make it right. "He's here in somebody else's body. It's very emotional to know that somebody lived."
That somebody was Mark Harrington, a 45-year-old father who's first transplanted heart was failing fast and for whom young Gabriel's heart was an almost perfect match.
Harrington has had heart trouble ever since he was a kid. He got his first transplant in 1990 and it lasted 18 years. He believes this heart will eventually allow him to see his daughter graduate from college. "Very few people get a second shot. Either they're too old, the body just isn't going to handle it, or whatever. I was one of the fortunate ones."
So as two very different families stood together, listening to the names of murder victim's read aloud and watching the release of symbolic doves, they also stood as a reminder of something good rising from something so tragic.
"You can't do anything with it when you take it with you, but you can save lives when you leave it behind," said Harrington.
As for the murder of Gabriel Gonzalez, police never did make an arrest. It remains unsolved.
"But when I saw (Mark) this time, I started crying. It was very emotional."
Emotional because of what forever connected the pair 15 months ago. That's when Lee's son, Gabriel Gonzalez, was shot dead on the street near his Lowell home.
Despite her pain, she won't make excuses for her son's gangbanging ways, even though she saw his better side. "He was a kind, loving child, regardless of what people say about him."
Perhaps that's why she decided to have his organs donated – to somehow make it right. "He's here in somebody else's body. It's very emotional to know that somebody lived."
That somebody was Mark Harrington, a 45-year-old father who's first transplanted heart was failing fast and for whom young Gabriel's heart was an almost perfect match.
Harrington has had heart trouble ever since he was a kid. He got his first transplant in 1990 and it lasted 18 years. He believes this heart will eventually allow him to see his daughter graduate from college. "Very few people get a second shot. Either they're too old, the body just isn't going to handle it, or whatever. I was one of the fortunate ones."
So as two very different families stood together, listening to the names of murder victim's read aloud and watching the release of symbolic doves, they also stood as a reminder of something good rising from something so tragic.
"You can't do anything with it when you take it with you, but you can save lives when you leave it behind," said Harrington.
As for the murder of Gabriel Gonzalez, police never did make an arrest. It remains unsolved.
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