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Astoria family to honor late son for organ donation at Rose Bowl Parade in California
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
Christine Perrelli of Astoria
will be honoring her late son,
Anthony “AJ” Perrelli, at the
Rose Bowl Parade in Pasadena,
California, in January for his
lifesaving organ donation that
has given two people a second
chance at life.
“We’re excited because it’s a
great way to honor him as well
as the others,” Perrelli said.
“For us, he always thought he’d
live in California as an actor,
so it’s kind of like putting him
where he should be and to have
that finale for him.”
Each year, the 58 organ procurement
organizations (OPO)
across the country have the
privilege of honoring one organ
donor and their family on a float
at the annual Rose Bowl Parade.
This year, LiveOnNY, the organization
that oversees organ
donation and transplantation in
the greater New York area, will
honor AJ, a professional dancer,
singer, actor, stage performer
and father, who died at the age
of 26 in October 2013.
AJ’s final casting call was as
an organ donor. In AJ’s life and
after his death, people worldwide
were inspired to pursue
their passions in the arts and
also signed up to become an organ
donor, Perrelli said.
According to Perrelli, AJ
was in the prime of his life, having
traveled the world for two
and a half years before he came
back to New York to pursue his
passion of becoming an actor.
Perrelli remembers her son as
“multitalented, a family guy
and a nurturing person” who
went out of his way to help other
people.
“When he was going to China,
and he was 19 at the time, I
Mercia Pantea (l.), a recent liver and kidney recipient, and Astoria resident Christine Perrelli, mother
of organ and kidney donor AJ Perrelli, show their decor honoring AJ for the annual Rose Bowl Parade
float. Photo courtesy of LiveonNY
said, ‘AJ if anything happens to
you, what would you want me to
do?’ He says, ‘Mom, I’m an organ
donor, and if they can use any of
my parts, do it.’ I said, ‘Even in
China?’ He said, ‘Yes, even in
China,’” Perrelli said.
AJ’s final request was fulfilled
when Mercia Pantea, who
resides in western New York,
received a successful liver and
kidney transplant.
“I feel excellent. I feel like
when I was young, although I’m
old,” Pantea said. “I don’t have
any headaches or pain, except
for when I lift weights. I cannot
possibly complain — everything
is working 100%.”
According to Pantea, he was
on the waiting list for two years,
which he described as a worrisome
and nerve-wracking time
period. Upon receiving news of
a donor, Pantea had met with
AJ’s family.
“It was emotional, because,
as a parent, I understand how
hard it is to meet with a person
that your child donated an organ
to. It was a really touching
moment,” Pantea said. “There is
an unspoken sentiment that you
have when you realize after the
transplant that someone else
passed away. The chances you
got are so tremendously incredible.
You think about it day and
night — it’s mind boggling.”
Perrelli, who had met with
Pantea twice, said it was amazing
to see how well he and
another recipient were doing
following their transplant procedure.
In November, Perrelli
and Pantea finished their decoration
of AJ that will be placed
on the float.
“AJ was one of the few at the
time that gave two organs to two
people. I don’t know how common
it is now, but at the time
it wasn’t common for someone
to give two organs per person,”
Perrelli said. “When I think
about it, these people have eight
more years with their children
and grandchildren. I think
about how I would be at this
age and my grandkids, and am
grateful to have met Mercia and
understand that my son is part
of him.”
To honor AJ’s memory,
Perrelli is continuing to
champion the importance of
organ donation.
Following AJ’s death, a fundraising
page was set up to pay
for burial costs. Perrelli made
a promise that any money left
over would go to a fund established
in AJ’s name for the arts.
What had started out as a scholarship
fund turned into a fullfledged
nonprofit, called The
AJ Project, and an agreement
that organ donor education and
awareness would always be a
part of each and every program
the organization does.
AJ’s Project has hosted
several networking events; resourced
assistance for a ballet
dancer in need; produced two
film pieces for organ donation;
hosted a Tony awards viewing
party event featuring guest performers
and comedy; produced
a burlesque show; and hosted
two annual friend raising/donor
awareness events showcasing
amazing talent.
According to Perrelli, when
she became involved in advocating
for organ donation, there
was a lot of misinformation and
questions around the subject.
“I found that the inaccuracies
and misinformation were
so great, that there needed to be
a way to get the real story out
and to learn more and tell people
about it. This gave me a chance
to speak about my son, but to really
turn the story to a positive
and give correct information,”
Perrelli said. “It started out that
way, but now I understand it’s a
greater purpose.”
Reach reporter Carlotta
Mohamed by e-mail at
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.com
or by phone at (718) 260–4526.
Vol. 9 No. 52 28 total pages
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