On Valentine's Day 1999, Arnold Perez's six-year-old son Hernán Aispuro died in a snow-sledding accident. With the donation of his heart, liver and kidneys, he saved four lives. "I saw how they fought to save his life, but it wasn't meant to be," said Arnold. "He was such a generous boy, we did not think twice about donating." As Embajadores de Done Vida, Arnold and his wife Eva are very active in promoting organ and tissue donation in the Latino community of Los Angeles. They share a firm belief that Hernán can continue to save more lives, not just the ones he touched directly. Said Arnold, "He inspired us and we continue with his mission."

Arnold's Story

It was Valentine's Day 1999, and the Perez family celebrated by traveling to the nearby mountains to enjoy the snow. As soon as they parked their car, Arnold Perez' six-year old son Hernán Aispuro jumped out and took off downhill on his sled before he had a chance to stop him. He hit a tree, and by the time his parents reached him, he had lost consciousness. Hernán was airlifted by helicopter to the nearest hospital, but it was too late.

"I saw how they fought to save his life, but it wasn't meant to be," said Arnold, a 46-year old Guatemalan man. His wife, Eva Perez, the biological mother of the boy, made the decision to donate shortly after they were approached about donating the child's organs. "I had never heard of that procedure, but we felt good. Maybe someone else would not lose their kid like we had."

A few months after the donation, Arnold and his wife received a letter with information about the people Hernán had saved: a two-year old boy had received his heart; a nine-year old girl had received his liver; and a man and a woman each received one kidney. "We cried when we got the letter. We still keep it," said Arnold.

His wife's dream was to meet one of her son's recipients, and they tried for six years with no success. Finally, Arnold and Eva received a letter from the little girl, now a teen, who had received Hernán's liver. Both families eventually met. "Meeting her let me know we made a good decision, a very good decision. We never had regrets, but now we had even less," said Arnold.

A few years later more good news came their way. The kidney recipient, Mauro Lupian, a 60 year old man, wanted to meet them in person to thank them. He brought his whole family with him to the meeting. "He showed us that Hernán not only saved his life, he saved a family. His daughter, his grandkids, his wife; they can all still enjoy him thanks to Hernán's gift."

Both Arnold and his wife are very active in promoting organ and tissue donation in the Latino community of Los Angeles. They are firm believers that Hernán can continue to save more lives, not just the ones he touched directly. Almost every weekend they attend a community event to spread the word. "If we don't go out there and volunteer, Hernán is not going to save more lives. He inspired us and we continue with his mission," he stated proudly.