Newly married husband, son and brother, Vu Huy Nguyen was a talented newspaper reporter. He was also a longtime and enthusiastic supporter of organ and tissue donation. During family discussions, Vu encouraged and convinced his parents and younger brother to put the pink dots on their driver’s licenses.

While Vu’s family is Roman Catholic, many in the Vietnamese culture, who are Buddhist, believe the body should be whole for reincarnation -- although there is no official “policy.” According to the Buddhist monks, organ donation is a matter of personal choice.

Vu suffered a heart attack at the age of 34 while playing soccer with friends on Mother’s Day, May 17, 2009. “Soon after the doctors at the hospital informed us that Vu’s brain was severely damaged and that he most likely would not make it, we immediately thought of Vu’s wish and contacted OneLegacy, so they could coordinate all the procedures necessary to fulfill Vu’s request and help us cope with our terrible loss,” said his father Chuyen Van Nguyen.

Vu had a way of making people remember him. He had married on Thanksgiving weekend 2008, and his funeral was held on Memorial Day, 2009. More than a thousand people, including relatives, friends, colleagues and members of his Vietnamese-American church, were in attendance.

“While we are still mourning our devastating loss, we are so honored that Vu’s death and his generosity have benefited other human beings, and we are happy that part of Vu is still living inside someone else’s loved ones in this world with us,” concluded his father.