Tom and Vivan Gano
Twenty-nine years ago, Tom and Vivian Gano’s lives were changed forever. Their teenage son, Curtis, 16, was riding his bike to a friend’s house when he was struck by a van. When doctors told the family that Curtis was brain dead, Vivian looked beyond her pain and asked doctors about donation. The family had watched a documentary about organ and tissue donation several years earlier that inspired her to ask.
In the darkest time of their lives, Tom and Vivian said “yes” to organ and tissue donation, and prayed that this heartbreaking event could have something positive come out of it. Tom said, “For me, I never wanted anyone else to feel how I did when Curtis died. I wanted to save as many people as possible. We prayed for a miracle that Curtis would be okay, but when we knew that wasn’t going to happen, we prayed that he could be a miracle for someone else.”
Curtis was able to be an organ and tissue donor. He saved four lives through organ donation and benefited countless others through tissue donation. His liver was donated for scientific research. “I’m 75 and I will never have the life-saving legacy that Curtis did. He was only 16, but he was able to save lives. I speak at schools in New Jersey mostly – and sometimes in Pennsylvania and Delaware – to share our story. It makes me happy to talk about Curtis and for kids to know who he is. I always pass around a picture of him. So many people know his name and have seen his picture.” said Tom.