2016 Marina Nicole Figueroa

Marina Nicole Figueroa_Sierra Donor ServicesMARINA NICOLE FIGUEROA

Organ, Tissue, and Cornea Donor

Age 13 ~ Sacramento, CA

Donated on 01/30/2013

at UC Davis Medical Center

Honored by www.dcids.org

Marina was a beautiful, vibrant 13-year-old young lady full of love, life and energy.  Marina was enthusiastic about organ donation, telling her mother, “If you were already gone, why wouldn’t you want to save someone’s life? If anything ever happens to me, I want to be an organ donor.”  Marina was thoughtful and shared laughter and joy wherever she went.  She was able to save the lives of 4 individuals through her gift of 5 organs – her heart, liver,  both kidneys and  pancreas.  Also, two people who were unable to see were given the gift of sight by Marina, and are now able to witness the beauty around them. Countless others were touched by her gift of tissues.

Marina’s Story

Marina was a beautiful, vibrant 13-year old young lady, full of love, life and energy. An eighth grader at Norwood Junior High in Sacramento, California, she was eagerly looking forward to her freshman year in high school. Marina was an adoring sister, aunt, and wonderful daughter.  Marina was also a thoughtful and fun friend to many. She was a young woman full of laughter and joy — a smile constantly on her face.

Marina had a giving heart and wanted to help others in every way she could. Organ donation was her idea. Her exact words were, “Mom, if you’re already gone, why wouldn’t you want to save someone’s life? If anything ever happens to me, I want to be an organ donor.” She was able to save the lives of 4 individuals through her gift of 5 organs – her heart, liver, both kidneys and pancreas. Also two people who were unable to see were given the gift of sight by Marina, and are now able to witness the beauty around them. Countless others were touched by her gift of tissues.

Marina’s mother, Nicole Perez, is now an Ambassador for Donate Life, sharing the story of Marina and the beautiful, life- affirming gift of donation. Last year, to mark the second year of Marina’s  passing, Nicole held a Donor Awareness event where more than two dozen people signed up to give life. Nicole says, “My daughter is touching lives in a way we never could have imagined.”

This summer UC Davis Medical Center placed a Donor Memorial Rock in front of their hospital, and Nicole shared the powerful story of her daughter, Marina. “I was honored to speak on behalf of my daughter and all organ donors from the UC Davis Med Center.  It was a wonderful tribute to true heroes.”

Nicole notes that Marina’s story will also be featured in an upcoming Public Service ad, again sharing Marina’s legacy of light, hope and generosity which lives on through her donation of life.