CONTACT: Alisa Gaudiosi, 860-­‐217-­‐0595; [email protected] A CT MOTHER INSPIRES OTHERS WITH HER GIFT OF LOVE AND LIFE -­‐ THIS MOTHER’S DAY, OPEN YOUR HEART AND MIND TO ORGAN DONATION -­‐ (WINDSOR, CT) – April 28, 2014 – Tina Ray spent much of her life surrounded by men. She was the queen of the house with two children, both boys. One lesson she imparted to all of the men in her life is sensitivity and the importance of helping others during times of need. So when her son, Nick, got a motorcycle shortly before he was to turn 21, he and his mother had a discussion about organ donation. No one could have known what was to come. Just three days later, two months shy of his 21st birthday, Nick lost his life in a motor vehicle accident. His family bravely carried out their son’s wishes, donating his organs, including his heart. “Nick and I had a discussion about organ donation three days prior to his accident. A part of me thinks he had a sense that he had a short time to be with us,” said Ray. Losing a child is a pain no one can ever fully recover from but Ray says she found peace in knowing that Nick lived on in someone else. Her confirmation of Nick’s generosity came one day in the form of a letter. “Words cannot express how grateful I am for your generosity. I can’t fathom how difficult it must have been for you, that in your time of grieving and mourning, you had the presence of mind to give the gift of life to a stranger,” said the recipient of Nick’s heart, a father of two boys himself and a college professor. Both of Ray’s sons, Nick and Michael, had a clear understanding of the need for more people to become organ donors because their stepfather Don had suffered from kidney disease for 25 years. He eventually received a transplant of his own in December, 2011. Ray gave one of her kidneys to her husband. “It was a very rewarding experience. I watched firsthand how my husband came back to life. He never really knew how sick he was until he had a new kidney and felt so good,” she said. Just when this mom thought she had been through the worst, came another major tragedy. She lost her second son, Michael, at age 23. “Michael was listed as an organ donor on his license and I think knowing his brother's organ donations helped so many other families helped him make that decision,” said Ray. Once again, Ray saw through her own grief to help another family hold onto their loved one. On the one year anniversary of his death, Ray wrote a letter to the recipient of Michael’s heart, saying, ”I want you to know that we have a sense of peace knowing that Michael was able to help so many families at the time of his death. Please enjoy your gift. Life is much too short to do anything but to live, love and enjoy every day.” Michael’s heart went to a man from Texas who had been sent to hospice to die, but in spite of his grim prognosis, started getting better – better enough to qualify to be listed for a heart transplant. Then came Michael’s gift. Ray has endured more tragedy than anyone should in one life. But she has come through it knowing that her loved ones have helped countless others and that’s where she finds her peace. “I made a choice to donate my children's organs and to donate myself because that was the only thing I could control. I had no control over what happened to my children. I had no control over my husband's kidney disease but I could turn really bad situations for me into positive situations for other families,” she concludes. On Saturday, May 3rd, LifeChoice Donor Services is hosting the 1st Annual Blue & Green 5K and 2 Mile Walk/Fun Run to gather the community in support of organ and tissue donation and transplantation. Funds raised from the event will be used solely to educate the public about the critical need for more people in Connecticut and Massachusetts to join the Donor Registry. Every day, 18 people die due to a shortage of organs. The event will feature entertainment, local Food Trucks, the Wall of Hope and all registrants will receive a Donate Life goodie bag, T-­‐shirts and light breakfast. Through this event, LifeChoice strives to inspire the local community to give life to its neighbors in need. LifeChoice Donor Services, Inc. is the federally designated, non-­‐profit organ procurement organization (OPO) for six counties in Connecticut and three counties in western Massachusetts, with a combined population of 2.3 million people. The OPO serves twenty-­‐three acute care hospitals for organ and tissue donation and two organ transplant hospitals, Hartford Hospital in Hartford, CT and Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, MA. LifeChoice Donor Services is a member in good standing of the United Network of Organ Sharing (UNOS) and is accredited by the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO). For more information about LifeChoice and to join the Donor Registry, please visit www.lifechoiceopo.org or call 1.800.874.5215. -­‐###-­‐