SOUTHINGTON, Conn. -- A Southington man who dedicated his life to helping others continues to do so even in his death.

Justin Wisniewski's mother describes her late son as being a perfect baby.

"When he was born, he slept all night. When he was awake, he was very, very active. He grew up into this wonderful little boy who had hundreds of friends, and he was always involved in everything," Jill Wisniewski said.

As Justin aged, his mother said he began volunteering his time with various organizations. One of the organizations to which Wisniewski gave his time was the Southington Fire Department, where his older brother, Matt, was a volunteer.

"I was in the fire department since 2002 as a volunteer, and when he became 18 in school and saw me and what I was doing, he decided he wanted to join also," Matt said.

Matt said Justin attended a training session on a wet afternoon in 2005.

"It was raining pretty hard, and we kind of said, 'Are they still going to hold class?'" Matt said. "And he said, 'Well, fires happen in the rain,' so they still did."

Matt said during the training session, something went terribly wrong.

"When you sit there and think that this little boy was living on machines most of his life, and he's now out playing with his friends, it's a miracle. The worst thing you can go through is losing a child, and if you can help that family have that little boy, how could you not help them?" - Jill Wisniewski Organ Donor's Mother

"You have to climb off the roof onto this ladder that is just below the level of the roof and somehow his foot slipped," Matt said. "The instructor tried to catch him -- he actually did have his hands around his hand -- but he was in full gear and Justin was over 6 feet tall, 240 pounds. He was a big boy and in full gear. The instructor couldn't hold him, and he fell."

Justin suffered head injuries from the fall, and his family later decided to take him off life support.

"They determined that there was no flow for a long time, and there was no chance of getting the brain to recover," Jill said.

When Justin was 16 years old, he made a decision that has dramatically changed the lives of others. Justin applied the organ donor card to his license the day he got it, his family said.

"The doctors and everyone came to us and said this was Justin's wishes, and we knew that's what it was," Jill said.

Cheryl Edwards of the New England Donor Bank said Justin's family looked beyond its grief to provide help to others.

"We see families at their worst, the worst day of their lives, and people like the Wisniewskis are kind enough to let you in and to listen to their options, and they can look beyond their grief to help other people," Edwards said. "It never ceases to amaze me."

Justin donated his heart along with other organs.

"He helped four people through organ donation. He helped two cornea recipients have their sight restored, and he helped numerous other people through tissue donation," Edwards said.

Justin's heart saved the life of a Connecticut resident, and one of his kidneys went to a 9-year-old boy.

Justin's parents said knowing that their son went on to help others is comforting.

"You know it's something he would have wanted to be doing, that he was always helping everyone. Knowing he actually did and continued to after he was gone," Jill said. "When you sit there and think that this little boy was living on machines most of his life, and he's now out playing with his friends, it's a miracle. It's a miracle, and I'm very happy for that family.

"The worst thing you can go through is losing a child, and if you can help that family have that little boy, how could you not help them?"

According to the New England Donor Bank, there are more than 96,000 people in the United States waiting for a life-saving transplant, and more than 600 of those people live in Connecticut.

"My favorite bumper sticker says, 'Don't take your organs to heaven, heaven knows that we need them here,'" Jill said.

Justin, an Eagle Boy Scout, had a passion for motorcycles. Last year, in his honor, his family and friends began Ride4Justin. All proceeds from the event go to a scholarship fund set up in Justin's name. This year's ride is scheduled for May 6.

More Information:

Link: Ride4Justin

Link:New England Organ Bank

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