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We honor them…

Saturday, June 1st, 2013

Unyts is paying tribute to our heroes of organ, eye and tissue donation. It seemed fitting to call this endeavour “Honoring our Heroes”. We know that for the families of these donors, they really are heroes, and we certainly feel the same way.

We are truly honored to share these very touching personal stories each month. If you would like to honor a hero, please read below. 

For the month of June, we honor   …

Grant Marin

by: Yvette Marin

I would like to tell you about the man I was married to for 28 years. Grant was smart, funny, insightful, and generous in spirit. He was a loving husband to me, a loving father to our two daughters Amy and Tiffany, and a loving owner to our Great Dane Bailey. He loved sports – watching football, playing hockey, or going to the games with his friends. 

He retired from the Department of Corrections after 25 years as a Lieutenant. During his time, he served for six years as Vice President of NYSCOPBA, putting in long hours helping his fellow union members and making a positive impact in many people’s lives. During his time in Corrections, he was often in New York City.  We learned following his passing, he had also helped many homeless men who needed a helping hand. When our nephew was tragically killed in a drunk driving accident, Grant helped his brother maintain their family’s tiling business, expecting nothing in return. When our niece and her young child found themselves homeless, Grant brought them into our home. He volunteered many hours for Meals on Wheels and even donated his bone marrow, an excruciating procedure that he took, to help countless others. He was a kind, loving, and generous man.

At the age of 49, Grant suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage and slipped into a coma. For twenty days we all hoped he would make it through, until the day had come to say good-bye to the man, husband, and father our life had always counted on. 

When Grant received his driver’s license as a teenager, he was registered as an organ donor, and further helped others even in death. I have had the honor of meeting one of the recipients of Grant’s organs, and I have the privilege of now working with her and Donate Life, to tell others of the tremendous impact donating organs can have on others’ lives.

 

 

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We honor them…

Wednesday, May 1st, 2013

Unyts is paying tribute to our heroes of organ, eye and tissue donation. It seemed fitting to call this endeavour “Honoring our Heroes”. We know that for the families of these donors, they really are heroes, and we certainly feel the same way.

We are truly honored to share these very touching personal stories each month. If you would like to honor a hero, please read below. 

For the month of May, we honor   …

 John Stark

 

John Stark 1984-2005

John was full of life. He was always on the go, looking for adventure. He was into extreme sports and was always trying new things. His last craze was snowboarding. He was fearless. He did not believe in letting fear rule a person. He was also a prankster. He loved to get a laugh out of people. He also had a very deep sensitive side, which not a lot of people saw. 

John knew that I loved him and worried about him, as all mothers do. He was very respectful of my feelings. He and his friends called me Mrs. John’s Mom. I was watching him turn from a sometimes rebellious youth into a responsible young man. I was very proud of the life lessons he was learning and the direction his life was heading. 

John was a great brother to Mike. As children, if John received a Christmas present that Mike liked, he would give it to him. A few weeks before Mike moved to California, the fuel pump went out on Mike’s car. He had money saved for moving, but was still strapped for cash. Mike needed money for the repairs and was stranded at the shop, so Mike called John at work. He said no problem, then asked his boss if he could duck out to give Mike some cash. His boss said no, so he said, “Okay, I’m taking my lunch.” His boss asked if he was going to drive to the shop to see his brother and John replied, “Of course not.” But he did, and they fired him for it. When Mike thanked him, he smiled and said, “Mike, you’ve always been like a brother to me.” It seems only fitting that his generosity in life would carry over in his death and that he would chose to give his body as a final gift to others.

When I took John to get his learner’s permit, he wanted to know what it meant to be an organ donor. I told him, and John signed up to donate his organs. I always believed in organ donation, and he liked the idea. I remember coming home from the DMV and being amazed that this sometimes cocky kid would actually consider something so serious and life saving. I was really proud of him. He would amaze me like that sometimes. Most of the time he was carefree and happy-go-lucky, but he had a very sweet and soft side that he would let people see every once in a while. Never in a million years did I think I would ever have to make a decision about donating his organs.

On January 17, 2005,  there was a bad lake effect snow storm  and traveling was treacherous.

John and his buddy Jim decided they were going to go snowboarding at Holiday Valley.  While driving down the 219, the driver lost control of the car and slid into oncoming traffic.  The passenger side was T-boned and John was killed instantly.  His body was put in the morgue at Bertrand Chafee hospital and John’s license, keys and wallet where the police barracks in Cattaraugus county. At this time the registry was just getting started and licenses weren’t marked with hearts, so the police had no clue that my son wanted to be an organ donor. I don’t even know if John had filled out the back of his license. 

Because John and I talked about organ donation, I made a call to the hospital and was put through to Unyts.  At that time, the last thing I wanted to do was discus with someone about donating my sons organs, but I knew it was something I had to do. The people from Unyts were wonderful.

Because my son died instantly, I could not donate his vital organs. I was able to donate his corneas, tissues and bone. My biggest fear was being told that his organs could not be used, but I feel so blessed that my son’s death has not been totally in vain and that he was able to help someone else. 

His corneas were used to give the gift sight to two people. I’ve been fortunate enough to have met  one of them. His heart valves were used to help to two children. All in all,  I’ve been told he could have helped more than 50 people.

As a result of John being a donor, all of his friends are signed up to be organ donors and I encourage others to do so and give the gift of life.

 

 

 

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We honor them…

Monday, April 1st, 2013

Unyts is paying tribute to our heroes of organ, eye and tissue donation. It seemed fitting to call this endeavour “Honoring our Heroes”. We know that for the families of these donors, they really are heroes, and we certainly feel the same way.

We are truly honored to share these very touching personal stories each month. If you would like to honor a hero, please read below. 

April is “Donate Life Month”, and we honor   …

Christopher Tarrant

 

What is a hero?  A hero is a person who is admired for their brave deeds, special strengths, intelligence, courage, and abilities. A hero must be strong, smart, brave, and able to do what’s right no matter what the sacrifice to himself would be.   I’d like to introduce our hero, Christopher Tarrant, to you.

 Chris was born, raised, and proudly called Western NY home.  His mother, from Germany, and his father from Buffalo, raised Chris in a bilingual household where he spoke German fluently, appreciated fully the benefits of home,  the meaning of family and solid friendships while learning about the world, cultures & people around him through his local and long distance travels. 

He had an ever-present smile and could make anyone’s bad day instantly good through his ability to share that smile, focus on the person he was with, and engage in a conversation that made the recipient feel like the only person in the room.  To have met Chris, meant to have found an instant friend.

 

Chris grew up with an immediate love for sports – specifically hockey.  His passion for hockey ran in the family as his father and brother actively played and his grandfather was a member of the Hamilton Tigers. When Buffalo landed the Sabres’ as an NHL team during the league’s expansion in the 70’s, they had an instant and steadfast fan in Chris.  In the 80’s, he had the good fortune to become a season ticket holder and was often found talking about the team’s wins or losses, trades and trade deadlines, and general commentary about the sport.

 

 

 

Having graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Buffalo State College, then securing a master’s degree in Economics from SUNY Buffalo, Chris worked in the banking industry and ended up following in his father’s career footsteps by becoming a Bank Examiner for the NYS Banking Department.  Whether at work or play, Chris was generous in sharing his time, his attention, his expertise and his support.  He could always be counted on to help whether it was providing support to a friend or family member in need, cleaning up yards after the surprise October storm, or clearing neighbors’ sidewalks of snow.  The saying of “a friend in need is a friend indeed” was likely written by someone with Chris in mind!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

His greatest love was always family.  Outside of all the hockey news and wins, scholarly accomplishments, or promotions in his career, the greatest day in his life was when he became a dad to his daughter, Hannah.  When we think about how a hero needs to be strong, Chris had strength in spirit.  Chris’ life was always powered by optimism which gave him the strength to carry on no matter what the odds.  It is that lesson of his strength of spirit that he has given his daughter, his family and his friends as a gift from his legacy.  His brave deed came at a time when none of us expected to lose Chris so soon in his young life.  At the age of 46, he became suddenly ill with pneumonia complicated by community-acquired MRSA and passed away.  Through the depths of our grief, Chris’ strength of spirit, bravery, and ability to do what’s right no matter the sacrifice to himself was his gift of life through the donation of his liver.  Chris was always and will always be a hero to our family and friends.  Because of the generous nature of Chris in life and in death, his legacy of being strong, brave, smart, and self-sacrificing will never fade.

Written by: Renee Tarrant

*If you would like to nominate a hero of organ, eye or tissue donation, please fill out a form (click here). We will be sharing these stories each month on Unyts blog and on our Donor Family Services page.

 

 

 

 

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We honor them…

Friday, March 1st, 2013

 

Unyts is paying tribute to our heroes of organ, eye and tissue donation. It seemed fitting to call this new endeavour “Honoring our Heroes”. We know that for the families of these donors, they really are heroes, and we certainly feel the same way.

We are truly honored to share these very touching personal stories each month. If you would like to honor a hero, please read below. 

The month of March, we honor   …

Tinna Diebel

 

From the time she was a little girl, Tinna was a little chatterbox. She would not be quiet from the time she got up till she went to bed. When she started kindergarten, we would get notes home all the time saying how talkative she was. Her teacher called her a  little social butterfly. She would go from desk to desk talking to people.
 
When she was four, she went through the “why” stage. Everything was “why?” My answer was always because. That never satisfied her. So as she kept asking, I would ask her, why do you want to know? When she was a little girl, she loved to watch Barney, The Rugrats and The Big Comfy Couch. She would sit at her little yellow desk and have breakfast. She loved to play outside with her red wagon, sandbox and her little pool. Her uncle Steve would take her for rides on his 4 wheeler. Her grandma Joanie remembers a funny story that happened when she took Tinna to the grocery store. She picked up an eggplant and told Tinna what it was, and Tinna replied, “where is the egg?”. It’s a story that they laughed about for years.
 
There are so many memories. I think my favorite memory is the day she called me mommy. I will never forget it. She was four and I had her sitting on the counter. I forget what we were doing but out of the blue, she asked if she could call me mommy. We were in the middle of a custody fight and she was living with us. I looked at her and said “do you want to call me mommy?” and she said “yes”. I said yes you can, and from that day on I was her mommy. For 15 wonderful years I was her mommy. She was 19 and still called me mommy.
 
There was another time when I was pregnant with her sister Sabrina. We were living in an upper apartment and my husband worked for a furniture company. I here this noise coming up the stairs. He opens the door and she has this huge dresser. I asked him who it was for and he said Bubba. That’s what he called Tinna. It was late and she was sleeping. I had to get her out of bed and put her in our bed so he could set it up for her. She got up the next day and let out a bid squeal. She thought it was the most beautiful thing. We said it was her big girl dresser. She felt so special.
 
She also helped name her sister Sabrina. We had the name all picked out. At the time, Rosie O’Donnell had her talk show on and Tinna just loved to watch it. One day we were watching it and she said, mommy, if the baby is a girl, can we name her Rosie? She was 6 at the time. We wanted her to feel like she was a part of the pregnancy so I said, “honey, we already have a name picked out”. She was so disappointed. I said, let me talk to daddy and see what we can do. Sabrina’s name is now Sabrina Elizabeth Rose Diebel.

One day, I believe it was around 2007 or 2008, my uncle and his then fiancé brought over three cans of whipped cream for the girls to have a whipped cream war with. They had a blast. Tinna and Sabrina went after each other like crazy and little Caitlyn was trying to keep up with them. They had cream all over them but they had so much fun. Tinna loved to play dress up with her sisters. They even had special tea parties at the dining room table.

Tinna loved to have fun, especially at school dances. Tinna and her friend Theresa would be the first to run out to the dance floor and get everyone else to start dancing too. Theresa remembers going to the playground after school with friends, taking pictures and just having fun. Tinna would climb up the rock wall and just stare up at the sky, thinking, “I wonder what it’s like up there.” We know that Tinna is up there, an angel watching over us.

She enjoyed visits to her grandparents in South Carolina. Her Papa Jim and Grandma Joanie will always cherish their time together with Tinna and her sisters, visiting the beach, candystore and art gallery.

Our beautiful daughter Tinna was just 19 years old when she died.  She was a sweet, caring, outgoing girl who didn’t have a mean bone in her body.  She never realized how many people truly loved her.  She was taken from us on November 14, 2009.  She died due to head trauma she received the night before when she was struck by a car while crossing the street while she was walking home from work.  In January of 2009, she graduated early from high school, a goal that she had set for herself.  In July of 2009, she started dating a boy from high school. She said he was the love of her life.  Things were going so well for her.  She had a job that she loved, she had finally found a great guy and she was going to attend college that fall to be a teacher.  She finally found something that she wanted to do with the rest of her life.  She found she loved working with kids.  She started working at a daycare in Jan 2009 and fell in love with the kids.  She wasn’t expecting to like it as much as she did.  She wanted to be a reading teacher.

At home, Tinna was the oldest of 3 girls.  At the time of her death, her sisters were 12 and 8.  She loved her family so much.  No one could hurt her sisters.   She truly was their “big sister”.   She was always there for anyone when they needed her.   She had so many friends.   She was always on the phone listening to their problems and helping them out.  When Tinna got her driver’s permit, she made the decision all on her own to be an organ donor.   Her thoughts were when she did die, she wasn’t going to need them anymore so why not give them to someone who needs them. When the doctors told us that she was not going to make it, the decision was a no brainer.  We had to go along with her wishes.  The people from UNYTS were so kind and caring.  They knew what a terrible time it was for us.  I know we made the right decision.  There are so many people who got a second chance at life because of our daughter who made the decision to donate.
 

*If you would like to nominate a hero of organ, eye or tissue donation, please fill out a form (click here). We will be sharing these stories each month on Unyts blog and on our Donor Family Services page.

 

 

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We honor them…

Friday, February 1st, 2013

 

Unyts is paying tribute to our heroes of organ, eye and tissue donation. It seemed fitting to call this new endeavour “Honoring our Heroes”. We know that for the families of these donors, they really are heroes, and we certainly feel the same way.

We are truly honored to share these very touching personal stories each month. If you would like to honor a hero, please read below. 

The month of February, we honor   …

Christopher R. Krencik

 

Christopher Krencik was a happy and easy going young man, who had a large circle of friends. He is missed each and every day.

Our family has had two tragedies. On March 4th, 2006, our 13 year old son was struck and killed by a speeding pickup truck driven by a 21 year old driver. The driver claims he saw a group of snowmobilers crossing the road at the snowmobile crossing. Jeremy was riding with some friends, along with his brother Josh, who ran to Jeremy’s side. Unfortunately, it was too late. Our 13 year old Jeremy was gone. Jeremy left behind his twin sister Chelsea and brothers Josh and Christopher.

Tragedy struck our family again in August, 2008. Our son Christopher was diagnosed with a rare form bacterial meningitis called Listeria. Christopher died 2 days after his 25th birthday. Christopher’s death was unnecessary. He was originally thought to have the flu, but we knew he needed urgent attention. A second diagnosis was that of a urinary tract infection. He was sent home with medication but by early morning, the disease had traveled to his brain. He was taken to a local hospital and put on life support. We were told he would never be the same. It was time to make a decision about organ donation. Darlene from Unyts was our angel. She helped to make every step much easier to take. We had to make the hardest decisions of our life. Fortunately, friends and family were there for us. We made visits to the hospital chapel hoping for a miracle that never came. The end came peacefully for Christopher. The organ recipients were told that they were going to get a second chance of life because of our decision to donate his organs. We, as a family, knew that Christopher would have wanted to do this for others. He was the most giving, loving and caring young man. Christopher leaves behind his parents, his sister Chelsea, brother Josh, his girlfriend of 3 years, Jackie, and the real pride and joy of his life, his 15 month old little boy, Christopher.

Every year since Christopher’s death, we have held a memorial blood drive through Unyts. We have collected over 100 units of life saving blood in Christopher’s name.

We miss our loved ones ever so much, but we do know how important it is that life goes on and that Christopher’s life has really gone on, because of the  donation that he gave to others.

*If you would like to nominate a hero of organ, eye or tissue donation, please fill out a form (click here). We will be sharing these stories each month on Unyts blog and on our Donor Family Services page.

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We honor them…

Tuesday, January 1st, 2013

Unyts is paying tribute to our heroes of organ, eye and tissue donation. It seemed fitting to call this new endeavour “Honoring our Heroes”. We know that for the families of these donors, they really are heroes, and we certainly feel the same way.

We are truly honored to share these very touching personal stories each month. If you would like to honor a hero, please read below. The month of January, we honor   …

 Claude Case Jr.

 

Claude Case Jr., known as “Butch” to most, and “Pops” to his children and their friends, was a hard working and honest man.  His greatest joy was in helping others.  As a younger man, he would stop by anyone he saw broke down on the side of the road and help to get their car going again, always having a trunk full of tools and least a few pair of vice grips, and ruining quite a few good clothes in the process.  In the later years of his life, he had a goal to help at least one person a month. Even though he lived only on Social Security, money was set aside to help others, by buying a less fortunate family groceries or a hearing aid for a person who needed it.

Butch had many hobbies over the course of his life and always worked with his hands.  His “copper trees” were made in all shapes and sizes and were handed out frequently to people he met.  Everyone was amazed by the talent and effort taken to make such a beautiful little sculpture.  Words and names were made of twisted wire in all colors and designs.  He had developed his own way, twisting wire uniformly and in unique patterns, spending hours working on his designs and tearing his finger tips to shreds in the process, just to sculpt a name. It’s hard to go anywhere without seeing something he made.  He always said his legacy would be through his copper wire design.  Everyone he met, he made names or trees for.  I guess his greatest joy was bringing happiness or a smile to other people’s faces.  This, he did on a regular basis.  One day, he went through the drive thru at McDonald’s, and in the rear view mirror he thought he recognized the people behind him and paid for their meal. Another time, he found a stray cat beside the road one day.  Claude nursed him back to health and he became his little buddy named Tabby.  We can still see them falling asleep together lying in the chair. This was typical for Claude. For a Boy Scout project, we had to build something.  So he took the plans from a 6 foot picnic table and extended them to ten feet. The picnic table is still being used and has been for the last 15 years. He decided to go big with it so whenever anyone came over there was always room for everyone to sit.

Butch was also an excellent mechanic. Every year one of us would run in the demolition derby. He was always right there, tearing the cars apart with us and helping us set them up.  We looked forward to the summers at the fair, building the demolition derby cars, always carrying a trunk full of tools.  Butch could fix just about anything. People would always call him and ask him to help them with their homework and computers. He said that he would have been a good Math teacher. His nieces and nephews were always asking for help with their math or any other subject even if it involved him reading the books and learning what they were doing.  He developed creative ways to make a car work with odds and ends, learned from years growing up and working in a salvage yard.  Another passion that Butch came to later in life and brought him much happiness, was cooking.  He was constantly experimenting in the kitchen with new ingredients and new ways of mixing old ones.  If someone stopped by he would always make sure that they didn’t leave hungry. He brought dishes to friends and family, delighting in the satisfaction received from compliments on the food he prepared. Claude also loved drinking coffee. Usually, that’s what he drank all day long. You could always smell the aroma of coffee in the house throughout the day.  

He loved singing songs and teaching them to his nephew. Sometimes, he went to my uncles for coffee in the morning.  He would always tell the kids, “It’s gonna be a beautiful day”.  He was always looking for odds and ends at yard sales.  People would call him when they needed something, because he had a lot of unusual “stuff” and saved a lot of it, hoping it would help other people. Most of the time you could ask him if he had something and he would dig through his “stuff” and most of the time, he’d find it.

He enjoyed spending time with his sons: Matt, Jon and Claude lll. One day he took his boys out of school just to have a day of fun.  They went to Allegheny State Park, flew kites, tossed the football, played basketball, and hiked around the lake. Butch especially loved the time he spent with his grandson, Nathaniel. They did everything from laying on the floor coloring, to playing outside, raking leaves in the yard. Butch built him a huge sandbox, which he loved.  Butch was very excited to find out about his soon-to-be granddaughter, Sophia.  He passed away in November, 2011 and he never got the chance to meet her. We tell her about him all the time and we know that he is watching over her. 

So to sum it up, we all feel that in many ways he was a hero on earth and now he is in Heaven.  He is sadly missed as he was such a big part of so many lives.

 Submitted by the family and friends of Claude Case Jr.

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Honoring our Heroes

Saturday, December 1st, 2012

Unyts is paying tribute to our heroes of organ, eye and tissue donation. It seemed fitting to call this new endeavour “Honoring our Heroes”. We know that for the families of these donors, they really are heroes, and we certainly feel the same way.

We are truly honored to share these very touching personal stories each month. If you would like to honor a hero, please read below. The month of December, we honor   …

Amy Lynn Ruppert Kostowniak

Amy and her son Ben

“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong doing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

Family Photo from 2004

I had often heard this quote many times through the years, but I had never fully understood it until I met Amy. For she was the first person I had ever met that made me understand what love was.  She will never be forgotten.   

*Ed Kostowniak, Amy’s husband

Ed & Ben Kostowniak

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*Next submission written by Mary Ruppert, Amy’s mother

As I sat for days looking at pictures and reading cards, so many memories flooded my mind.  Growing up, my family lived in a community so all 13 cousins were with each other almost on a daily basis – seems that the cousins were more like siblings to each other. 

At age 4,  Amy began taking dance lessons.  In Grammar School, she began piano lessons, played sports, and we enjoyed horseback riding and swimming.  She was a 4H member and looked forward to having her projects displayed and judged.

During her High School years, she continued piano lessons and began voice lessons. She was in vocal competitions, winning many first prizes. Even with her busy life she, she worked at Tops and while there, met many of her lifelong friends. 

Amy decided to go to College for communications, and soon realized she wanted to do something else.  She enrolled in Fredonia majoring in Music Therapy.  After Graduation, she took a year off and worked in a School for the Handicapped.  She realized she could help children and received her Master’s Degree in Speech Pathology. She and another teacher went to a workshop to learn a new technique, which they were allowed to use to help her students. At her funeral, a woman approached us with tears in her eyes and said, “If it weren’t for your daughter, our son wouldn’t have learned to talk”. To hear this Mom say this to us took my breath away.  Amy truly loved teaching and never bragged about her many accomplishments.

She also loved to bake and she took a few lessons on decorating. She had a talent for it and one cake that sticks in my mind was of a lottery ticket. She continued working, being with family, and going out with friends and before I knew it, she had a steady boy friend.

In 2001 she married the Love of her Life.  In August of 2005 they moved into their beautiful home that they designed, with their 15 month old son Benjamin and a soon-to-be born son in April.  When they came to our house, she would open the door with Ben in her arms and say “We’re here”.  I can see and hear her saying those words to this day.

Amy loved the holidays – Halloween and Christmas were her favorites.  She loved decorating inside and out.  She also had a love of nature.  When they were living in their apartment, she put a bird feeder out on the brick sill.  The birds would flock there and she said….”Mom, now I really get a bird’s eye view”, and started to laugh.  She had a great sense of humor.

I remember she told me she wanted to be a Donor, but I never knew that she followed through.

Throughout her 32 years, we were so connected – NOT only a Mother and Daughter, but BEST of friends.  My happy little girl grew into a beautiful woman, and has given new life to others.

I received a letter from Unyts telling me her cornea’s were given to 2 people in South America and a letter dated Jan. 13, 2007, from a women who received her tissues.  She stated that without Amy’s donation, she was bound to be in a wheel chair, but now she can walk again without a cane or help from others.  It was bittersweet to read this letter. 

Amy loved life, her family, friends and her students. I am so proud of her that she thought enough of others to help them through her donations.

It will be 7 years on Dec. 20th that the Lord called her and Matthew John home.  There is not a day that passes that I don’t talk to her.  At night, I ask the Blessed Virgin to hold them in her arms and kiss and hug them for me. She sends me signs that she is with me. Her physical self is gone, but her Spirit remains with me.   I love and miss you so much my sweetest daughter and until we are together, you will FOREVER be in my heart. 

Love Forever,  Mom

Amy Lynn has left her mark on the world by “CARING.”  Her love of music and teaching made her exceptional.  With her use of the Disney characters, she made it easier to understand.  She painted a full size “Goofy” character for me which is still hanging up and gave me a “Goofy” pin to wear at her wedding. Everyone who knew her will miss her forever, As I will…

Love, DAD

John & Mary Ruppert, Amy's parents

***

*The following submission was written by Don Ruppert, Amy’s brother

When you’re asked to write something like this, one knows immediately that he wants to – but will quite honestly struggle with being able to share his thoughts or limit his words to a simple sentence or paragraph. Often in life, it takes a tremendous loss to appreciate what we once had. What truly defines how special Amy was, is that she had a unique way to make everyone appreciate the simple things in life, how to value family and friends everyday, while she was here. Her approach to life was so sincere, unselfish, honest, warm and heartfelt.  You could appreciate her everyday efforts, in many cases motivating so many people, including me, when she didn’t even realize that she was. As a brother, I had the luxury of watching her become a mother and a wife, in addition to being a daughter, a sister, a cousin, a niece, and a friend.

She always had the ability make you smile and share happiness and comfort even in unsettling times. Her spirit and soul were so rich with love, her unmatched energy as an educator and willingness to help people was clearly valued.  

Don Ruppert and baby Ben

While we were fortunate to have her with us, and continue today with the contributions she makes even while she isn’t here physically.  Every person who Amy is with today has more than they realize- an angel. That was what she truly was, and still is, to me and everyone who knew her.  It has been said an angel never parishes, they simply grow bigger wings to help more people, and I can say she still helps me.

Always thinking of you and forever missed. I love you,

Your brother, Don

 ***

*The following submission was written by Karen Chapman, Amy’s cousin

Amy and Karen Chapman, her cousin

 

As I sit here reflecting on my memories of my cousin Amy Ruppert, I realize what an impact one person can have on another person, and you don’t realize the impact until they are gone.  It has been almost 7 years since my cousin passed and not a day goes by that she is not forgotten.   Amy was like the sister I never had.  She lived about five houses down from me, and we grew up horseback riding, snowmobiling, sledding, ice skating, going to the movies, playing bingo, and me teaching her to play piano.  Amy had a great musical talent not only with the piano but singing as well. I remember hearing her sing for the first time in church.  Her voice was so powerful yet soothing, and I couldn’t believe it was her!  As we grew older, I left Buffalo and joined the Air Force.  I remember visiting her every time I came home on leave, and we talked about the time I was going to retire and move back to Buffalo.  Unfortunately, Amy died before I retired.  I remembered I was getting ready to deploy to Afghanistan and wasn’t allowed to come back for the funeral.  I spoke to my commander and told him Amy was like my sister, and he allowed me to take 3 days of leave to come home for the funeral.  It was the holiday season, and unfortunately I couldn’t even buy a first class ticket home.  I have regretted missing her funeral as I never got to say goodbye.  But I did have an experience I will never forget:  It was the day after the burial, and I was sitting in my living room with my fiancé (Brad) and the two dogs.  All of a sudden, my oldest dog – Molly – was staring into space and it appeared Molly was following a spirit through the house.  Brad and I both looked at each other and said, “Amy is here saying goodbye.”  We could feel a presence in the house and then it left.  We both turned towards each other and smiled as we knew it was her.  One thing to remember, life is journey.  It is not our decision when we are born or when we die. It is the memories we cherish with each other and the joys of people touching our lives.

 I love and miss you Amy! 

Your cousin

Karen

***Submission by Carolyn Cleversley, Amy’s aunt

She was one of the most beautiful, kind, compassionate, caring and loving people I ever knew.  So much of her beauty was inside her, as well as outside.  Amy was born to my sister in law and brother, but they were so generous as to share her with me.  I have 3 boys and they allowed me to participate in her life as an adopted daughter.

Time spent with Amy was some of the happiest times of my life.  We had fun together and one trip in particular, we went to an old school house and to pick cherries.  We laughed a lot because I was a little short to get the cherries and when it was all over and done with, Amy put together this unique album of pictures.  It was a triangle and contained all the things we did that day.  It is a treasure I will always keep close to my heart and the memories it contained.

We loved to go to Craft Shows.  So many things to look at – creative input to our minds but it was a pleasure to go with her and see her light up with ideas.  Once she was married, her husband Ed would join us.

Amy was a very talented pianist and a wonderful voice that you thought you were listening to an angel sing.  No matter where or when it was, it was great to attend her performances.  Then she went to college and was trained further in her talent to teach mentally challenged students.  She was so patient and kind with them and they loved her – but then who didn’t?

She had so much patience and kindness in her, the memories never seem to fade and she never failed to share them with everyone and anyone.

My heart aches when I think of her, the times on each Saturday when we chatted and how early she was taken from us.  However, she would not want us to be sad and I feel she is in heaven taking care of all the babies. 

Her greatest gifts in this life were her husband and son, but then gave life to so many after being an organ donor.  I will always keep her in my heart, pray to her each day and knows she watches over all of us.

***
*the following submission was written by Sandy Hammond, Amy’s friend
 
I had known Amy since we were about 15 years old. We not only were high school friends, but we worked together at Tops as well. Having been friends nearly 17 years, we joked that we were friends longer than we had not known each other! In 17 years of friendship there are a lot of memories to choose from but I’ll share just a few. Amy was such a great friend and I miss her so much. Some of my favorite memories are the simple ones like “Friends” night when we’d meet to watch our favorite sitcom, or visits to her at college in the Finger Lakes when I earned my first speeding ticket, or the countless nights in her parents’ basement playing games and just chatting, 4th of July parties at the beach! Whatever we did, it was fun when Amy and her laugh were around! Her laugh was contagious! After college I moved out of state and as sometimes happen, friends can drift. This was not so for us. It didn’t matter how much time had gone by between calls or visits, we could pick up right where we left off! We could chat about just about anything!

Amy was a caring person; it didn’t surprise me when she picked a profession that allowed her to help people.

 I also remember the fun of both hearing and seeing Amy become a loving wife and mother, she was definitely a natural. I believe it was the joy of her life!

Sandy Hammond & Mary Ruppert, Amy's Mother

 

It’s difficult to put into a few words what Amy meant to me, because she was so much to so many people and will continue to be missed. There wasn’t much that Amy didn’t know about me (and she loved me anyway!) I was blessed and grateful that I got to call her my friend! I miss her always!

In loving memory of Amy

Sandy Hammond

***

*The following submission was written by one of Amy’s friends and former classmate

Cory Gallagher, Amy's friend & former classmate

Amy Ruppert was an inspiration to me–She was the first person that I ever knew that inspired me to sing…Now I am a professional singer and often think about Amy…especially when I sing her signature song that she used to sing so beautifully–from Phantom of the Opera–”Wishing you were Somehow Here Again”–Ironic the way that song now would speak so loudly to our hearts.

We took music lessons from the same piano/voice teacher–I can remember all of the recitals and music competitions when Amy would get on stage and sing from her soul. I can just imagine her now–She stood tall and confident–Her voice was a powerhouse of passion and strength…It would send shivers down your spine…and give goose bumps…People would listen and be mesmerized by the beauty and power in her voice…I never knew that one day I would get similar compliments about my own voice…I didn’t know that I had a voice and gift to share until years later–I think Amy planted a seed of inspiration in my heart…and years later, after nurturing that seed I was able to share my own gift of singing and music with people.

It was also years later that I would be asked to sing at Amy’s funeral service…That was such a deep honor…It was such a raw, wintry day–just days before Christmas–and the sting in the frigid air matched the sting we all felt in our hearts as we laid to rest beautiful Amy and her baby that she was carrying…I remember singing “Silent Night” and all of us were so pierced by the poignant lyrics…”Mother and Child–Sleep in heavenly Peace.”

I recently recorded a new Remembrance CD and the inspiration behind the song “Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again” was Amy Ruppert and Her Mother, Mary.  I sang it at a concert on Nov 2nd in honor of All Soul’s Day and Mary was in the audience.  During that song–our eyes connected and I knew deep within that Amy was with us in that moment of beauty and that the song was bringing the lyrics to reality.

It is beautiful the way God works and weaves our lives and paths together with different people…Now I have rekindled a friendship and bond with Amy’s mother–Mary Ruppert, who is a big supporter of my music and career… she is an inspiration to me…And music continues to touch and inspire and weave us together…I know deep within that whoever has gained life from Amy’s sacrifice and gift–is touched at their core by the music of Amy’s Heart and Soul.  Amy is in fact ~~~~~Somehow Here Again–

Cory James Gallagher

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Honoring Our Heroes

Thursday, November 1st, 2012

Unyts is paying tribute to our heroes of organ, eye and tissue donation. It seemed fitting to call this new endeavour “Honoring our Heroes”. We know that for the families of these donors, they really are heroes, and we certainly feel the same way.

We are truly honored to share these very touching personal stories each month. If you would like to honor a hero, please read below. The month of November, we honor a LIVING DONOR…

Kristina Zornes

Story told by her Aunt Diane

Just before her third birthday, my niece Jessica woke up one morning with her little body completely swollen.   After rushing to the hospital and going through many tests, it turned out she had kidney disease.   She waited until she was 8 years old for a donor- a young man who was killed in a motorcycle accident.   In their grief, his family still thought of others and my niece got a chance for a somewhat normal life.  

We wish we could have thanked the family.  

Ten years ago, Jessica’s donor kidney failed. She was 21. There was no hesitation.  Jessica’s sister, Kristina, stepped up and said she would give Jessica one of hers.   Jessica is now 31yrs old.  Kristina is 32. What better way to show someone how much you love them than by actually giving them a piece of yourself?  An actual piece!  Both girls are fine.  Jessica will always be on medications.   She doesn’t mind though, because she is alive! 

Kristina and Jessica

I also have another hero in my family -my dad, Ray Szalach.  We had talked about organ donation ever since Jessica first got sick.  We all agreed when the time came we would all donate whatever we could. My dad passed away Oct. 11, 2007. Because of him, researchers were able to use his tissue and eyes to find new cures and treatments for a number of health issues.

I want people to know how unselfish it is to want to help someone else. Kristina could have just said nothing and Jessica would have had to wait….again.   By my dad donating his eyes for research, someone may be able to see things they never had- like their own families and the wonders on nature.  I miss you Dad.

We honor them by signing up to be organ donors and by giving at Unyts Blood Drives.  

Jessica's License Plate

Without organ donors, my niece, Jessica, my not be alive today. How can you not be affected by something like that?

 *If you would like to nominate a hero of organ, eye or tissue donation, please fill out a form (click on the link below). We will be sharing these stories each month on Unyts blog and on our Donor Family Services page.

http://www.unyts.org/services/donor-family-services/

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Honoring Our Heroes

Monday, October 1st, 2012

We are starting something new here at Unyts, to pay tribute to our heroes of organ, eye and tissue donation. It seemed fitting to call this new endeavour “Honoring our Heroes”. We know that for the families of these donors, they really are heroes, and we certainly feel the same way.

We are truly honored to share these very touching personal stories each month. If you would like to honor a hero, please read below. The month of October, we honor…

Amy Vidinovski

(Story told by her mother, Cathy Vidinovski)

Amy was a very dedicated and compassionate RN, proud of her profession and loved helping others.  She was family oriented and loved spending time with us, especially her niece Sophia, who called her “Mamie”.  A fun loving young woman who was a fan of the Boston Red Sox, she always had the baseball cap on and traveled to see them play many times. 

 She had season tickets to the Bills games and after many games had no voice due to all the yelling she did for her favorite football team.  On January 19, 2011 one of the brightest lights disappeared from our lives as Amy was taken from us in a tragic car accident.  Her beautiful smile that could light up a room was suddenly gone from our lives.  There is a void in our hearts and an empty chair in our family that can never be filled. 

We will never let her be forgotten.

We honor her memory by doing the Unyts walk and this year her brother had shirts made in her memory.  My son and I have tattoos in her memory.

Donation has affected our family in a positive way.  Amy spent much of her life helping others; it is comforting to know she lives on, helping others after her death. 

We received a letter from the recipient of Amy’s cornea and although it was hard to read, we were thankful for that letter as it was confirmation of her generous deed.  One of my favorite songs is “Heaven was needing a Hero” and now Amy is Unyts’ Hero of the Month, a well-deserved honor.

 Thoughts from Jeff (Amy’s Boyfriend)

Amy was the sweetest, funniest, most amazing person I have ever met. I loved her dearly and miss her more with each passing day. I can’t believe she is gone. Gone too soon. The world needs a million more people like her, not one less. Amy was the most giving & generous person I’ve ever known, so it’s only fitting that she continues to give the gift of life to this day.

Amy was by my side for ten years of her life. In those ten years we laughed together, cried together, screamed together – we did EVERYTHING together! When I met her she was a Yankees fan. Mostly because she thought a few of the players were cute! I’m a huge Red Sox fan so this did not sit well – but it didn’t last long. Soon she started buying Red Sox hats and shirts to wear. Just so we had more in common with each other. Then…..over time, she became an even bigger fan than me! So then we decided to go to Boston every year to watch them play. We went for 4 or 5 years straight, going to 3 or 4 games every trip. It was exhausting – but we had the time of our lives. Everywhere I went with Amy I had the time of my life. Amy broke down barriers with her infectious smile, amazing personality and her resounding laughter. What a laugh! She could just start talking to a group of strangers like they were old friends. She was the life of the party everywhere she went. She was truly one of a kind. 

Amy made me the person I am today. She is in my heart and she is in my soul, and will be – for the rest of my life. I love you AmyBaby.

 

 *If you would like to nominate a hero of organ, eye or tissue donation, please fill out a form (click on the link below). We will be sharing these stories each month on Unyts blog and on our Donor Family Services page.

http://www.unyts.org/services/donor-family-services/

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Honoring Our Heroes

Saturday, September 1st, 2012

 

We are starting something new here at Unyts, to pay tribute to our heroes of organ, eye and tissue donation. It seemed fitting to call this new endeavour “Honoring our Heroes”. We know that for the families of these donors, they really are heroes, and we certainly feel the same way.

We are truly honored to share these very touching personal stories each month. If you would like to honor a hero, please read below. The month of September, we honor…

Louis Callari

(This submission was written by Rosemary Callari)

Louis loved his family and friends very much, as they loved him.   Besides his Mom and Dad, Louis left behind two older sisters–Krystle and Brandi.  He also had two older brothers-David and Mark, and nephews and nieces.  He left behind a fiancé, Alyssa and her 1yr. old daughter Lexi.  He adored them!

 Louis loved his Taurus SHO and was looking forward to racing it. He was very close to his Uncle Steve, who was teaching him all about cars.  He had 3 of them!

 

 He attended SUNY IT, in Utica, ECC and Buffalo State, where he was studying Information Technology.  He loved big family gatherings, hanging with his friends, his XBOX and his cars.  Louis had many jobs–Tops cart person, Pizza Hut deliveryman, and he prepared food at Jim’s Steakout.  The job he waited for was as a computer operator for SITEL Corp.  He worked full time and attended Buffalo State full time.

Louis’ family wants people to know that Louis had a heart of gold.  Even though he didn’t show it on the outside, he was a very caring person.  There is nothing he wouldn’t do for his family or friends.   Anytime anyone called for help, he was there – whether it be in the middle of the night, or in the middle of a class at school.  He always played the “tough guy” but he was a softee inside.  This was very evident when he played with Lexi and his younger nieces and nephews.  He was very gentle with his grandmother of 88yrs.  He loved to take her to lunch and let her hang on his arm as she walked.  Louis was also very smart and his familys thinks he definitely should have gone to law school as he loved to “argue” a point.

HOW HIS FAMILY HONORS HIM -

We were in Florida on his 22nd birthday and we celebrated at his favorite Hibachi restaurant with his sister, Krystle.  Our first Christmas after Louis passed, we cut down the top of a 30 ft. pine tree that we planted for the kids when we first moved into our house when Louis was 6 mos. old.  We put the tree up in our front yard and invited family and friends to come and help decorate the tree in honor of Louis.  On the one year anniversary of Louis’ passing we had a memorial service in our home The Pastor said a few words and prayers.  Then friends and family relayed stories about their experiences with Louis.
Last summer, for Louis’ 22nd birthday, we had a memorial race at Dunn Tire Raceway, where his dad and uncle raced his car against mine.  Louis always wanted to see if his SHO could beat my mustang.  It did!  This summer we built a memorial garden in front of our house.  We planted a tree for his birthday.  We have a table and chairs so people can come and sit with him awhile if they like.  Various family and friends have put some of Louis’ favorite things under his tree–Pepsi, model race cars, a Bible, star wars figures, etc.  

 

We have learned that life is more fragile and shorter than we thought. We are grateful that we decided to donate Louis’ organs to help others live.  It opened our eyes to a whole new “territory” of life and death.  We have met and made friends with some wonderful people who are going through the same thing as we are.  I never thought much of signing my license to donate my organs until we were asked to consider donating Louis’ organs.  In fact, Louis was able to donate his cornea to his cousin, Phoebe, who lives in Long Island. The timing was uncanny. Phoebe was preparing to have a transplant within a few days of Louis’ passing. Phoebe was able to use her cousin’s cornea!

A memorial race was recently held in honor of Louis.

 

(The following is an excerpt from a letter from Rose Callari to her son)

“We heard from one of your kidney recipients a few weeks ago.  We are going to meet them at the end of September, I hope.  Your body is gone, but some of it’s parts are helping others live . Dad and I knew it would be what you wanted. Phoebe got your cornea.  I asked her once if she saw things differently. She laughed. I kiss her eye whenever I see her.  She is so thankful.”

“I feel your love and closeness everyday. I miss you more than anyone will ever know. I take comfort in the fact that I will see you again someday.”

 *Read full version Letter TO MY SON

 *If you would like to nominate a hero of organ, eye or tissue donation, please fill out a form (click on the link below). We will be sharing these stories each month on Unyts blog and on our Donor Family Services page.

Honoring our Heroes

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