Parsippany-Troy Hills, NJ
Lifestyle
'Rivers Won't Be The Same': Outdoor Community Mourns Rockaway Fisherman Tyler Rodimer, 23
North Jersey fisherman Tyler Rodimer died on March 29 in Morristown Medical Center of injuries sustained in an automobile accident in February. He was 23 years old. Tyler's organs will be donated to help others live, according to a GoFundMe that had raised more than $13,100 as of Monday afternoon. Friends are remembering the Stillwater native and former Rockaway resident as an avid fisherman who taught many his skill. "I'll never forget the look on your face the first time you hooked into a fish on my fly rod," Joe Falotico wrote on Facebook. "The next thing I knew your mom was…
Cliffside Park-Edgewater, NJ
Police & Fire
Woman, 18, Struck By Car In Ridgefield Being Taken Off Life Support
An 18-year-old woman struck by a car in Ridgefield last Saturday afternoon was being taken off life support so that her organs can be donated, her brother said. Sarah Ye Eun Kim was hospitalized in critical condition after she was struck on Shaler Boulevard near Pleasant View Terrace, right near her home, around 4 p.m. Feb. 9. "The past week has been the hardest time for our family as we've had to hear from doctors of her near full brain dead state," said her brother, Pastor Paul S. Kim. "She took her first test [Friday] morning to see if she is brain dead and the result came back tha…
Cliffside Park-Edgewater, NJ
Police & Fire
Woman, 18, Struck In Ridgefield Taken Off Life Support For Organ Harvest
An 18-year-old woman struck by a car in Ridgefield last Saturday afternoon was being taken off life support so that her organs can be donated, her brother said. Sarah Ye Eun Kim was hospitalized in critical condition after she was struck on Shaler Boulevard near Pleasant View Terrace, near her home, around 4 p.m. Feb. 9. "The past week has been the hardest time for our family as we've had to hear from doctors of her near full brain dead state," said her brother, Pastor Paul S. Kim. "She took her first test [Friday] morning to see if she is brain dead and the result came back that she was,"…
Mount Pleasant, NY
Obituaries
Teen Killed By Gunshot Wound Remembered For Love Of Outdoors, Video Games
The 17-year-old who died after an accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound is being remembered for his love of the outdoors and video games. The announcement of the incident, which occurred on Friday, Feb. 1, was made on Thursday, Feb 7 by Putnam County Sheriff Robert L. Langley Jr. At approximately 7:46 p.m. Feb. 1, sheriff's deputies responded to a radio run of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head of the teen at a home on Ridge Avenue in Putnam Valley after another teen called 911 to report that his friend had accidentally shot himself. Three friends of victim Elias Knapp were …
Hackensack, NJ
Lifestyle
Bergen County Rabbi's 2nd Organ Donation Helps New York Dad Live
Nine years after donating his kidney to a stranger, Bergen County rabbi Ephraim Simon has given an ailing father a second chance at life with his liver. Adam Levitz, 44 of Long Island, has suffered from Crohn’s disease since the age of 15 and was in dire need of a live donor as of December 2018. Simon of Teaneck is among only a handful of people who have donated both a kidney and a liver. Because many hospitals won't allow such -- including those in New York state -- Levitz and Simon of Teaneck traveled to the Cleveland Clinic for the successful operations on Dec. 20. “As a rabbi, I do a …
Paterson, NJ
Obituaries
Haledon Boy, 8, Who Died Of Asthma Hoped His Kidney Could Help 'Pop Pop' Live
A Haledon family with a distinguished lineage of first responders is hoping the organs of an 8-year-old boy who died Monday night from complications of an asthma attack will help others live -- especially his grandfather. Caleb Van De Voort overheard his father and grandmother discussing an organ transplant for his maternal "pop pop," retired Haledon Police Chief Louis Mercuro, when he offered his own. Justin Van De Voort explained the process of organ donation to his son -- and, still, Caleb wanted to help. If tests show a match, his kidney will help his grandfather live. "[Caleb] was …
Newburgh, NY
Neighbors
New York Woman Celebrates Second Chance At Life
When Orange County physical therapist’s assistant and mother Ellen Dunn first started feeling run down and short of breath, she assumed it meant that she was out of shape. She soon began working out but noticed that things didn’t get any better. That’s when her doctor diagnosed her with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, an incurable lung disease that results in scarring of the lungs and makes it hard to take in enough oxygen. “I knew my only option was a lung transplant, but I was in denial,” said Dunn. “It was a lot to take in and very scary – not just for me, but also for my husband and …
Paramus, NJ
Neighbors
Paramus Man Donates Kidney To Best Friend 'Now Brother'
Chris Clark and George Salameh have certainly had their share of ups and downs together. In 2003, Clark saw Salameh through his first kidney transplant from his mother. Just more than a decade later, Salameh was right by Clark's side when his wife, Patty Clark, suffered a brain aneurysm. So when Salameh's kidney began failing last spring, it only seemed natural to Clark to try to donate one of his own. Late last week, Salameh and Clark went in for their procedures, giving the longtime friends one more "up" to celebrate. "Chris donating his kidney means me having a life agai…
Beekman-Poughquag, NY
Neighbors
Westchester Resident Received Life-Saving Liver Transplant After 14 Year Wait
At age 32 Westchester resident Janet Ocasio was a mother to three children and a successful hospital executive who started feeling run down. Her doctor told it was likely just stress and sent her home. But things didn’t improve and soon Janet was unable to walk a block or play with her children without getting winded and needing a break. She returned to the doctor where she learned the devastating news that her liver was failing. She was told she only had 4-6 years to live. “I was terrified to leave my children,” she said. “So I began doing research and went to see another doctor who sent m…
Mount Pleasant, NY
Sports
Scholarship Fund Set Up In Memory Of Ex-Football Star Killed In Motorcycle Crash
A scholarship fund has been established in the memory of a former high school football standout from Northern Westchester who went on to play in college. Nicolas De La Pava died on Tuesday, Aug. 7 from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident. He was 23. A standout at Fox Lane High School, De La Pava joined the football team at SUNY Cortland as a tight end. "Our intention is to help future players at Nick's alma maters," said a GoFundMe page established for the scholarship fund. "The outpouring of love and support to our heartbroken family has been incredible, and we are…
Beekman-Poughquag, NY
Lifestyle
Local Mother Waits For A Heart Transplant
Lauren Marks may look like your average 30-year-old, but she isn’t. While many people her age are running marathons, earning graduate degrees and climbing the corporate ladder, Lauren is waiting for a new heart. At age 12 she was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, an incurable condition that restricts blood flow from the heart. Only a small fraction of people with this disease need a new heart and Lauren is one of them. For a while she was okay, but in her teen years the illness began to take a toll. Lauren was always an athlete, but her heart condition forced her to give up play…
Beekman-Poughquag, NY
Lifestyle
Celebrate National Donate Life Month With LiveOnNY
Organ donor advocates across the state are once again coming together to celebrate National Donate Life Month, which takes places every April and raises awareness about and celebrates the power of organ, eye and tissue donation. LiveOnNY, a federally designated nonprofit organization that facilities organ donation in the greater New York City area, and its partners will host and participate in more than 100 events across the region in celebration of Donate Life Month. “Importantly, Donate Life Month is an opportunity to come together and celebrate those who have given the gift of life so th…
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