In a heartwarming event held on May 31st in the greater New York area, honoring the everyday heroes in the firefighting department and the organ donors, several organizations came together to show their respect and gratitude. The Federal Designated Organ Transplant Institution “LiveOnNY”, the Museum of Chinese in America, the Chinatown Development Corporation, the FDNY Phoenix Society, and the Korean American Family Service Center collaborated to organize the event.
Four members of the FDNY Phoenix Society were recognized during the event, including Chairman Benjamin Chou, Board Member of Emergency Medical Services Randy Li, Vice-Chair Matthew Liu, and senior member Steven Lee. In addition to honoring these firefighters, two Chinese organ recipients were also invited to share their stories of rebirth and express their thankfulness towards the donors.
Vice-Chair Matthew Liu of the Phoenix Society, aged 36, born and raised in New York with parents from Shanghai and Hong Kong, has served in the New York Fire Department for 12 years, with 6 years dedicated to emergency medical rescue as an EMT. Liu, in an interview, shared that his experiences as an EMT witnessing life and death situations, coupled with the loss of his father five years ago, has made him more empathetic towards families facing the difficult decision of organ donation. He emphasized the importance of advocating for organ donation awareness.
Marry Wu, who underwent two kidney transplants at the ages of 4 and 12, expressed gratitude towards the selfless donors that allowed her life to continue for 29 years since her last transplant. Andrew Wang, who has dealt with heart failure from a young age and received an organ donation, now aims to become a doctor to help others in need.
On the day of the event, New York State Senator Brian Kavanagh and Brad Lander’s office’s Senior Regional Liaison Zhu Lei were present to acknowledge the efforts of LiveOnNY in promoting organ donation. The event served as a reminder of the importance of organ donation and honoring those who dedicate their lives to saving others.