GIFT OF LIFE: Donating vital organs
BY KARMINA LOPEZ | The Queens Courier

Fausto Armenta, a 20 year old Mexican, was considered by his older brother, Juan Armenta, to have a big heart. And it’s precisely that noble heart that now offers a new opportunity at life for a 7-year-old child.

Organ donation remains a taboo subject in the Hispanic community, but thanks to decisions like the Armenta’s family of donating their loved one’s organs, others may survive and lead a full life.

"It was a painful decision that I was not ready to make," said his brother John. "I was hoping that my brother would recover."

According to the New York Organ Donor Network, in the United States, about 110,000 men, women and children are waiting for organ transplants, of which over 20,000 are Hispanic. However, according to the same network, there remains a desperate shortage of organs and tissue donors.

While donating the organs of a loved one can be very heartbreaking, John added, "Part of me knew it was the right decision. The hard part was convincing my parents. "

At age 14, Fausto crossed the border from Mexico to the United States with his brother to seek a better life. However, on the morning of May 30, the young man was found unconscious on a street in Queens and later declared brain dead by doctors at Elmhurst Hospital.

"The police have not given us any information about his death," said his brother John. "We do not know if it was racism, an accident or revenge, as he was severely beaten."

Upon hearing the tragic news and hospitalization of their son, Fausto's parents were able to travel to this country thanks to a humanitarian visa. However, doctors at Elmhurst Hospital reconfirmed that their son was brain dead, and possibilities of recovery were slim, so they decided to remove the respirator that kept him alive.

"Thanks to organ donation his parents had more time to say goodbye," added Joel Ortiz, a friend and roommate of John and Fausto. "I convinced Fausto’s parents to donate his organs. I had the terrible experience of losing a loved one due to lack of donations. With the organs of my friend, one angel helped saved another angel. "

According to the law, hospitals in New York are required to notify the New York Organ Donor Network of all deaths or imminent deaths. Therefore, the Armenta family made the decision to donate.

"If he had been in my situation he would have done the same thing," John said. "I feel good about my resolution because my brother will always be with me."