Nicholas Green anniversary marks legacy of organ donation in Italy

The 32nd anniversary of the death of Nicholas Green, a seven-year-old American boy, is being marked in Italy. Nicholas was killed on September 29, 1994, during a robbery on the Salerno-Reggio Calabria highway while traveling with his family.

Following the tragedy, his parents, Reginald and Margaret Green, made the decision to donate his organs, a gesture that saved seven lives and profoundly shifted Italian public sensitivity toward organ donation. This act of altruism led to various commemorative initiatives, including regional awards for students in Calabria and a dedicated monument at the Palazzo Campanella, the seat of the Calabria Regional Council.

Salvatore Cirillo, President of the Calabria Regional Council, honored the family's legacy, describing the event as a “extraordinary lesson of humanity” that transformed the culture of donation in the country. The monument in Palazzo Campanella features seven bells and seven doves, crafted from seized criminal weapons, symbolizing peace and reconciliation.