New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
‘Second chance at life’
New mural in Hamden depicts heroism of organ donors
HAMDEN — Carol Fletcher now has a special place to feel connected to her son and remember him as a “superhero” who saved lives.
Notre Dame High School student Jerrell Fletcher, 16, suffered a traumatic brain injury after a rollover car accident. As Carol Fletcher visited her dying son in the hospital, someone from New England Donor Services approached her asking about organ donation. While she was hesitant to sign off at first, she remembered her son as a kind and giving person and knew if he could respond he would want to help others.
“I went in and looked at him. We never talked about organ donation in our household. Knowing the kind of kid he was I knew if I could ask him he would say, ‘Save somebody’s life,’ ” Carol Fletcher said.
Jerrell Fletcher’s heart, liver, kidney and pancreas were donated to those in need, including to an 11year-old who needed a new heart. To honor Jerrell Fletcher’s gift and other organ donors, he alongside three others are depicted as superheroes on a mural, titled “Stories of Hope,” which was unveiled on Hamden’s Alltown Fresh on Thursday.
“I got to meet [the recipient of his heart]. I got to put my ear to their chest and hear his heartbeat. Through doing that, it’s helped me through my grief process,” Carol Fletcher said. “For my son to be honored on this mural is heart-wrenching to me . ... I find that now I can come here instead of going to the cemetery and feel close to him. His eyes are piercing at you. It’s such a joy to come here and see this.”
Depicted to Jerrell Fletcher’s right is Matthew Roche. After Matthew Roche, 26, finished helping a neighbor, he slipped and fell on concrete stairs and suffered a traumatic brain injury. After three days on life support, his family knew it was time to let him pass on. Because Matthew Roche made it a mission to help others, his family made the decision to honor his legacy by donating his organs to six individuals, his mother Paula Roche said.
“I know that Matt would be thrilled to be on this mural. He’s a great guy, caring, the youngest of my three sons . ... He is missed. He loved his family, he loved his friends,”
Paula Roche said. “We knew that [donating his organs] would be something he would want because he was a very caring person. When he was in high school, he would work with elderly people and they loved him and he loved them. He was very special.” ,
The left half of the mural depicts Judi Edwards, a living donor, and Angella Haughton, a recipient of a part of Edwards’ liver. While Haughton was gravely ill, and seven months after a scheduled liver transplant fell through, she got a phone call that Edwards was willing to donate. Because of Edwards’ donation, Haughton said that she got to celebrate her birthday
last week.
“She is my angel. She is my hero. This is my family. I can’t say how grateful I am for this second chance at life,” Haughton said. “Had it not been for her, I would not have been celebrating that birthday, it was that bad. Whatever I can do to share this story so others can receive what I received I will do.”
Edwards, who has also donated a kidney, said that being able to help others is the “honor of my life.” Edwards said that during her journey, she learned that individuals don’t have to be a “perfect match” to donate. She also said the medical professionals responsible for the transplants were “incredibly thorough” and put her
health first.
“The transplant teams wouldn’t allow me to do that unless I was both physically and mentally strong enough to proceed. It was an amazing process all around. I would just tell people to pick up the phone, ask questions and see what is possible for them,” Edwards said. “It’s amazing to have our faces on the mural. I can’t believe it. And we look a little younger on the mural too, so we’ll take that. But if it causes someone to be curious about Donate Life and gives somebody hope, that’s what it’s all about.”
Lindsay Vigue, executive director of Donate Life Connecticut and an organ donor herself, worked with RiseUp for Arts to create the mural over five months. Vigue hopes the mural will help bring awareness to the importance of organ donations.
“We want to normalize it. We want to make sure that people do talk about it. That we can know each other’s wishes,” Vigue said. “Now we get to create this beautiful piece of artwork. It’s for everyone, and it brings people together in a way that a billboard couldn’t.”
The mural’s artist Micaela Levesque, who has previously worked on the MLK39 murals across the state, said they decided to go with a superhero theme for the mural because those depicted on it are “saving lives.” Levesque said that one of her goals is to help people with her art.
“I hope it raises more awareness and makes people think ‘Who are these people?’ ‘How did they get on the mural?’ and ‘Why are they wearing those outfits?’ ” Levesque said.
Almost every day during the several months it took to create the mural, Gwen Sargeant would watch Levesque paint. Inspired by the stories of the individuals depicted on it, Sargeant said, she has decided to become an organ donor.
“I love people. That’s what I do. That’s what makes me happy,” Sargeant said. “We all bleed the same color. It’s not blue or green, it’s red.”