Transplanted organs are 6-year-old's legacy

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By Beth Boehne

Story Created: Jun 21, 2008 at 10:31 AM EST

Story Updated: Jun 21, 2008 at 10:31 AM EST

EDITORS: Memorial contributions may be made to the Hunter James Krywko Memorial Fund, care of First National Bank, 101 E. Grand River Ave., Howell MI 48843.

HOWELL, Mich. (AP) — For firefighter Jim Krwyko, the shock of witnessing his son's death quickly gave way to the certainty of what to do next: donate 6-year-old Hunter's organs for transplantation.

"Knowing that there's kids out there needing what he had to offer, it wasn't a decision, yes or no. It's just the right thing to do," Krywko said.

Hunter was pronounced dead Monday at University of Michigan Medical Center, two days after suffering head injuries in a dirt bike accident on a friend's property north of Howell. He was riding with his father.

After Hunter's family agreed to donate his organs through the nonprofit Gift of Life, Michigan's organ donor agency, he was kept on a ventilator until the organs could be recovered Tuesday night.

"I don't think there was any discussion about it. They were very adamant about that," Eric LaPres, a family friend and fellow firefighter, told the Livingston County Daily Press & Argus of Howell. "That's the kind of people they are."

Hunter's heart, liver, kidneys and intestines were removed and tested, and possible matches were notified, LaPres said. Krywko said his son's heart went to a recipient in New York.

"He no longer had a need for it, and these people do," said Krywko, a firefighter in Howell for four years and for four years in Bangor.

Funeral services for Hunter were held Friday at Howell City Park.

Krywko and his wife Erin saw organ donation from another perspective on Thanksgiving, when their 4-year-old daughter, Alexis, was in the hospital with a kidney malfunction. Doctors said she would likely need a transplant if her condition didn't improve, but it did.

The family's experience with Alexis showed that "what goes around comes around," Krywko said.

"Donate. Give the gift of life to somebody," he said. "That's got to be the best gift you can give."

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On the Net: Gift of Life, http://www.giftoflifemichigan.org

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Information from: Livingston County Daily Press & Argus, http://www.dailypressandargus.com

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