From Tragedy to Hope: Organ donations from shooting victim help save 8 people's lives

This comes as New York broke its record last year for the number of organ donations made.

News 12 Staff

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Jan 26, 2023, 11:13 PM

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Updated 694 days ago

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The family of a 15-year-old shooting victim is turning a sad story into one of promise by donating his organs to help save eight people's lives.

Jose Lopez-Ortega was fatally shot in the head last Thursday in Longwood.

At an event honoring Maimonides Medical Center's work in the field of organ and tissue donations earlier today, Live On New York confirmed that Lopez-Ortega's donation helped to save eight lives, including some people under the age of 20.

This comes as New York broke its record last year for the number of organ donations made.

"In 2022, the increase of lived saved or organs transplanted was 30%. So about 1,300 organs transplanted. And it's been the highest amount of donors, which were about 478, as well as the most organs transplanted in the state's history," said Leonard Achan, president and CEO of Live on New York.

Despite record organ donation numbers, there are still around 9,000 New Yorkers statewide waiting for organ transplants, according to Live On New York. They hope the heartfelt story of Lopez-Ortega inspires more families to donate.