A lot of boys love superheroes, but Jimmy Januska actually wanted to be one. He used to ask his mother, Theresa, "What kind of superhero do you think I would make?" She never knew what to say.
Today, Theresa can answer that question. "He's our superman," she said.
Jimmy lost his life at 15, after taking a short ride with a family friend who had just bought a motorcycle. They got into a serious accident with a car, and both were ejected. The Januksas rushed to the hospital only to learn that Jimmy could not be saved. In the midst of their grief, they said yes to organ donation. "It seemed to make sense," Jimmy's mother, Theresa, said.
Thanks to that decision, many other lives were saved, including a boy in Arizona who received heart valves. In addition to organs, Jimmy also donated tissue and corneas. "What impacted me the most was probably the letter that I received from somebody who got his kidney," Theresa said. "She had nine brothers and sisters, and none of them were a match – just Jimmy. That's Jimmy's legacy."