BOSTON - The Decoteau family lost their son Daniel in a tragic accident in 2021. He was a candidate to be an organ donor, but had never signed up to put the designation on his license, leaving his family with a tough and unexpected decision.
What You Need To Know
- April is National Donate Life Month and those impacted by organ donation, along with advocates, shared thier stories at the State House Wednesday
- There has been an increase in organ donors in Massachusetts since 2020
- The group hopes that more people will consider signing up to be an organ donor the next time they renew thier license or ID
"Your son, Daniel, was my hero. Now his heart is beating in my chest, And that's all because of the decision that these two people made," said Gary Swain, a heart recipient.
The Decoteau family decided to donate Daniel’s organs and saved four people’s lives. Now they are fierce advocates for New England Donor Services, especially after meeting Swain, the man who was the recipient of their son’s heart. They’ve gotten to hear it beat in his chest.
"It is our hope to find something positive and meaningful out of this tragedy. And truly, that's exactly what I tell myself every single day. And when you meet an organ recipient, they are so grateful they have a second chance at life. Gary is just an amazing person, sailing and races, sailboat races and doing all the adventurous stuff that my son would be doing," said Daniel’s mother Michele.
What this family and this organization wants is for people to sign up through the RMV to be an organ donor. so that little heart is right on your license or ID, meaning grieving family members won’t have to make a hard decision in the moment.