Sanitman dies a hero
Six organs donated by kin after death from choking on food
The big heart of a beloved city sanitation worker now beats in the chest of a fellow New Yorker.
The sudden and shocking death of veteran employee Roger Kwok earlier this month came with a silver lining: Six of his donated organs were transplanted into four city residents, including the 45-year-old man’s heart and kidney to one recipient.
Silbing Stephen Kwok said the way his brother lived life helped make the difficult decision easier following Roger’s unexpected passing.
“Being how big-hearted my brother was, I thought he would like to help others and donate his organs,” said Stephen to the Daily News. “I think it was something he would have wanted.”
Roger, only days from retirement, was rushed to the Mount-Sinai West-Roosevelt Hospital on May 2 after choking on a piece of steak that became lodged in his airway during a lunch break.
EMS responded, but Kwok had already suffered significant brain damage. Eight days later, his grieving brother opted to share the gift of life with others.
“Roger was a pretty special person,” said Leonard Achan, president and CEO of LiveOnNY, the federally-designated organ procurement organization which oversees donations in greater New York and provides support to donor families.
“A Gulf War veteran, a son of New York who would give you the shirt off his back,” he continued. “The family made a decision to save lives with his death. This was his way of turning darkness into light.”
Kwok’s heart and a kidney went to one patient and both his lungs to a second, with two other transplant recipients receiving his liver and a second kidney.
Stephen Kwok recalled accompanying his brother as he was wheeled through the hospital hallway early Friday to the operating room where his organs were recovered for transplant.
Family members, friends and hospital staff solemnly lined the hallway with battery-lit candles for the heartfelt sendoff shortly after Stephen’s decision to donate.
“They call it the ‘Honor Walk,” said the surviving brother. “Oh my goodness, super emotional. “I was at a loss for words, I couldn’t stop crying. The lives my brother had touched, and now he was touching more. I couldn’t be more proud of him.”
Achan offered a heartfelt thank you to the Kwok family for their decision, saying LiveOnNY was “humbled and honored to be the steward of these precious gifts on behalf of Roger and his family.”
Brother Stephen said the last act of his brother’s life was typical of Roger’s approach to life, with his final breaths delivering hope to the four fortunate recipients.
“His co-workers loved him, so many people came out to support the family,” said brother Stephen. “They loved him in the sanitation garage. He loved to joke, he loved to eat. And he continues to touch other people with his generosity.”