Page 4 THE REVERE ADVOCATE - Friday, February 15, 2019 Give the gift of life this Valentine’s Day: Organ Donor Day By Tara Vocino n celebration of Valentine’s Day and National Organ Donor Day, Mayor Brian Arrigo joined heart recipients to proclaim Valentine’s Day as Organ Donor Day at City Hall on Tuesday afternoon. According to Matthew Boger of New England Donor Services, Valentine’s Day is a day of caring and sharing your heart with others. “What better way to share a heart than to register as an organ and tissue donor and getting a heart on your driver’s license or ID,” Boger said. “The celebration of Valentine’s Day and National Organ Donor Day commemorates those who have received or continue to wait for lifesaving transplants as well as the families of individuals who chose to be donors.” In 2018 more than 1,120 I lives were saved in New England because of the generosity of individuals who became organ donors, according to Boger. Also, thousands of lives were enhanced through the gift of tissue donation. With the need for lifesaving transplants growing every day – more than 113,500 patients are now on the U.S. Transplant Wait List – it is crucial to educate residents about the importance of registering as donors, according to Boger. New England Donor Services asked people to “have a heart” and get a heart by registering as donors with the Registry of Motor Vehicles. During Tuesday’s ceremony, those touched by organ donation shared their stories. Resident and heart recipient Katelyn Argueta, a fourth grade student at the Hill School, received a heart on Oct. 22, 2018. “We felt helpless,” her mother, Evelyn Pleitez, said. “We’re grateful for the wonderful family that provided a new heart so that my daughter could return to school two months later and have a normal life.” Arrigo said he couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day than to give people another chance at life. “Thanks for celebrating National Organ Donor Day and the tremendous work that they do to facilitate critical services,” he said. Arrigo began to get emotional, as he gave a personal testimony as to how an organ donor contributed to his family. His father, John, was given an extra two years of life following a double lung transplant in July 2014. As a result, John was able to see Arrigo get married, witness the birth of his grandson Joseph and see Arrigo be elected as mayor of Revere. Resident and heart recipient Bob Sawyer was diagnosed 8 Norwood St. Everett (617) 387-9810 www.eight10barandgrille.com Kitchen Hours: Mon-Thurs: 12-10pm Fri-Sat: 12-11pm Sunday: 1pm-10pm NEW $10 Dinner Menu! Come in and Try our New... Choose from 16 Items! Served Monday thru Thursday - 4 PM - 10 PM Grilled Rib Eye Steak! Only $22.00 includes Two Sides Every Friday FRESH HADDOCK DINNER Only $18.00 includes two sides For great advertising rates jmitchell@advocatenews.net Shown from left to right are lung recipient Jim O’Hare; his wife, Anne O’Hare; donor grandmother Carol Dullea; Mayor Brian Arrigo; heart recipient and Revere resident Bob Sawyer; Matt Boger, spokesperson of New England Donor Services; Katelyn Argueta’s father; Katelyn Argueta’s mother; heart recipient Katelyn Argueta, a fourth grade student at the Hill School; and Liz Sandeman, state chairperson of the Lions Organ Donation Awareness Committee. At Revere City Hall on Tuesday afternoon, they raised awareness about the need for organ and tissue donors. (Courtesy Photo) with abdomen and pelvic cancer at age 18, and chemotherapy damaged his heart muscle. “I received a telephone call on Oct. 21, 2017, that a heart had been found to help me live,” Sawyer told the crowd. “I cried not only for myself, but for my donor.” Sawyer sent letters to thank the family for saving his life. Heart recipient and retired Hampton Inn Project Manager Jim O’Hare received a left lung transplant after he was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fi brosis, where a MAYOR | from page 1 the family name in Revere,” Arrigo said. Gibson has served as a corrections offi cer in the Suff olk County Sheriff ’s Department for the past 15 years. “Though he now changes uniforms, he continues in service to his fellow residents, accepting again the risks that come with the job in return for the satisfaction of serving the public with character, courage and integrity,” Arrigo said. Hartman took a different path that led him to the Fire Department. After graduating from Revere High School in 2006, he spent a year at Southern New Hampshire University. He has been working for Northeast Oil Delivery since 2002. “He is a young man fully aware of the meaning of dedication to a job and of how to respond to the people who rely upon your service,” Arrigo said. Fabiano is currently on active military duty as a staff sergeant with the U.S Air Force stationed in Grand Forks, N.D. “Joseph, we thank you for your service to our country, and we look forward to your continuing service to our city,” Arrigo said. DiBartolomeo said it has been a long time coming and he’s excited to serve alongside his new comrades. Festa said he’s excited for the opportunity to begin his career. Gibson said he’s happy to start after a fi ve-year wait. Hartman said he’s eager and honored to serve the community and others who need the Fire Department. Fabiano said he felt amazing and had been working toward this goal. “I’m ready to serve the city,” he said. DiBartolomeo’s mother, Martha, who pinned his badge, said she’s proud of her son and the work he’s done to get this far. His father, Leonard, said he is America’s fi nest. His niece, Lily, 9, called him a good soldier. DiBartolomeo’s girlfriend, Rowan Cornell, said he loves to help others and that he’ll do an amazing job. Festa’s wife, Lauren, said her husband is a loyal, determined transplant was the only option. “I’m fortunate to be here,” O’Hare said. O’Hare said half of the people who can be registered are registered and that it only takes minutes to do so. Carol Dullda said her grandson, Ethan, 11 months, donated a liver to a boy from the Northwest and two kidneys to an adult male from Pennsylvania when he died after a tree hit him in the head during a windstorm. “Helping another person to live was the rainbow after a storm,” Dullda said. “Ethan has softened our sorrow and lightened our darkness by touching so many lives.” Lions Club member Liz Sandeman said her sister died waiting for a lung transplant at age 54 after a battle with a rare lung disease. “She never got the phone call she was waiting for after two years,” Sandeman said. “But she got more than 10,000 people registered as a result.” Tara Vocino may be reached at printjournalist1@gmail.com. and hard-working guy. “Revere is lucky to have him,” she said. His mother-in-law, Patrica Bakerian, said being on the Fire Department has been his dream for his entire life. “He’s worked so hard to make this dream come true,” Bakerian said. Gibson’s wife, Christina, pinned the badge with their three-year-old son, Eric. “He’s a great role model that I want our two sons to look up to,” she said. Hartman’s uncle John pinned his badge. Fabiano’s grandmother, Grace, said he is making his siblings, Michael, 23, Melissa, 21, Jimmy, 20, Paul, 19, and Danielle, 12, proud. “He serves proudly in the Air Force,” she said. Fire Chief Christopher Bright thanked Arrigo for supporting the department’s application for a staffi ng grant for the second year in a row. “The mayor’s support has increased the Fire Department’s staffi ng for eight fi refi ghting positions over the past two years,” Bright said. “We are not fi nished yet.” Tara Vocino may be reached at printjournalist1@gmail.com.
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