The extraordinary story of Nicholas Green
In 1994, a seven-year-old California boy, Nicholas Green, was killed by highway robbers while vacationing in Italy with his family. His parents agreed to donate his organs and corneas, which went to seven Italians waiting for transplants. Reg and Maggie Green spoke openly to the media, with no bitterness about their loss and decision. Italy and the world took the story--and the Greens--to its heart. Organ donations in Italy have tripled since Nicholas died, and thousands are alive today who otherwise wouldn't be.
The world's response to the Green's personal tragedy has been called "the Nicholas effect." Whatever their position in the world, people respond from the heart--presidents, movie stars, schoolchildren, grandmothers, Boy Scouts, soccer players, surgeons, and organ recipients.
Nicholas' seven recipients are like many others; a mother who had never seen her baby's face clearly; a diabetic continuously in a coma; a boy of 15, wasting away with heart disease; a keen sportsman whose vision was gradually darkening; and two children hooked up to dialysis machines several hours a week. Then there was Maria Pia, a vivacious 19-year old girl. who on the night Nicholas was shot, was dying too. Now, against all odds, she's healthy and married with two children, one of whom is called Nicholas.
These people are not rich or famous, and their lives are marked by the same struggles we all face. But they feel reborn. Few potential donors realize the mighty gift in their hands. By a single action they can save other families from the devastation they themselves face. With such momentous consequences, donor families often wonder how there could be any other choice.
It doesn't lessen the pain of losing a son. The sense that life is missing a vital ingredient continues. But donating does bring a certain balance. For the rest of our lives we donor families can feel proud that our loved ones saved someone in desperate need when no one else could.
Special thanks to Reg Green for allowing me to post this