Katrina Erskine has a story to tell that still gives her goosebumps 22 years later.
This is the story of a teenage mother and her five-week-old son Jaleel, and how his heartbreaking death saved the lives of two other infants. A two-month-old boy and an 11-month-old girl were kept alive by the heart. A transplanted liver provided a reprieve.
A Long Island woman held her 25th annual “Remember and Rejoice” service inside St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Saturday, honoring donors and givers in the largest event of its kind in the nation, and found herself in Manhattan after two years of disappearance. I will be sharing my incredible journey of strength and hope as I return to my life. To the new coronavirus infection (COVID-19).
“I’m excited and honored,” said Erskine, 40, of Valley Stream, Louisiana. Usually I don’t write it down — and usually it comes from the heart…I still don’t know that my little son’s story could be so impactful that it could change someone’s mind. did not. ”
The event, hosted by the Manhattan Chapter of Transplant Recipients International Organization (TRIO) with support from LiveOnNY, will feature speakers sharing stories about the gift of life provided by donors and inviting others to join their ranks. It will bring joy and tears.
Erskine will be joined by other speakers, including Art Shumsky of the 1969 World Champion New York Mets, who will represent his beloved teammate and kidney recipient Ed Kranepool.
“It’s incredible that he’s still alive and well because of all the wonderful people from New York,” Shumsky said. “I’m kind of filling his shoes. It’s basically a day to remember and rejoice. We talk about our friendship, what he’s been through and how grateful he is.”
Leonard Akan, president and CEO of LiveOnNY, said the event will help people refocus the need for eye and tissue donations and celebrate the connection with those who receive the gift of life. He said it should be helpful.
“Families gathered at St. Patrick’s Church tell New York’s story of resilience, grit and compassion,” he said. “I think this is symbolic of everything we’ve been through the last two years.”
Chairman Eduardo Gonzalez, 27, was about to start his second year of college when his eyesight began to deteriorate. He recalled seeing a doctor who couldn’t read the giant “E” on his eye chart and eventually regaining his vision with a double corneal implant.
“I don’t think I realized at the time how many people came together to make this possible,” he says. “I can’t thank them enough now. They really made it easier.”
Gonzalez, who was attending for the first time, said she wanted to make sure her message about the importance of organ donors both in her own life and in the world at large resonated.
“There is nothing I can do to repay the donor family for giving me the gift of sight,” he explained. “I want to deliver that message to everyone.”
Brian Thompson, 60, detailed how his insular world expanded exponentially after surgery to transplant two new lungs just 14 months ago. Before the transplant, he was “100% disabled.” And last week he was busy writing a letter that was scheduled to be read inside the cathedral.
“I’m excited and I can’t believe it,” he said. “The Disappeared Irish Catholic in St. Patrick’s Cathedral. This completely changed my life and gave me a new life.”
