Family donates trauma victim’s organs

German Amezcua (right) spoke at a press conference Dec. 4 at Community Regional as wife Jessi (left) and sons Sebastian (middle) and Emmanuel (lower left) remain in the hospital. The family is pictured during a recent trip to Disneyland.

A 9-year-old Clovis boy critically injured in a car crash Dec. 2 will be able to give new life to other children, said his uncle Hector Amezcua. He spoke for the boy’s parents: “German and Jessi Amezcua have come to the inevitable fact that Sebastian is no longer with us and they’ve agreed to donate his organs to help other families.”

Hector Amezcua thanked the Community Regional Medical Center’s staff during a press conference Dec. 4 outside the hospital’s Table Mountain Rancheria Trauma Center (the only Level 1 trauma center between Los Angeles and Sacramento), where the Amezcua family was treated.

He also thanked Fresno police for their work in investigating the accident that injured his brother and sister-in-law and their two boys, Sebastian, 9, and Emmanuel, 5. More than a dozen family members stood behind him crying and hugging as he spoke to television cameras and reporters.

“Two families are suffering from the careless act of one person,” Hector Amezcua said, referring to the 15-year-old boy who reportedly broadsided the Amezcua family on their way home from church. German Amezcua told reporters that although he tried to chase down the fleeing teen after the accident, he was past being angry at the other driver. “My heart goes out to the family of the teenage driver. I wouldn’t wish this on anyone.”

German Amezcua (right) and Hector Amezcua (middle) spoke to media Dec. 4 about their family members' conditions.

The decision to donate Sebastian’s organs was an easy one, said Hector Amezcua. As a newspaper journalist he once covered the tragic story of a young gunshot victim whose organs helped many people continue living. “I pledged if I had the chance, I would do the same,” Hector Amezcua explained. “Sebastian’s legacy will continue in the body of other kids who need his organs. Sebastian is brain dead. We have to be unselfish and make sure others benefit.”

German Amezcua sobbed and nodded in agreement. Through his tears, he thanked the community again. “Fresno’s been great to us through all of this.”

Jessi Amezcua is in fair condition at Community Regional with numerous fractures, said her family. They said, Emmanuel Amezcua is in critical condition. “But it’s looking positive – with everybody’s prayers,” said his father.

This story was reported by Erin Kennedy. She can be reached at ekennedy@communitymedical.org.

Tuesday, December 04, 2007