By Peter A. Sutters Jr.
Jordan Zane Trimarchi was born on Jan. 18 with a tumor in his heart. Doctors told his parents, Jeff and Sadaf, that his only chance of survival was to receive a heart transplant after surgery had failed to removed the tumor. At almost the same time the parents of a baby named Breanna, who was of similar age to Jordan Trimarchi, brought her into a New York City hospital emergency room with what turned out to be fatal injuries sustained from being abused by her father, who is now facing criminal charges. Breanna could not be saved and doctors approached the mother to consider donating her child's organs. “The mother did not hesitate in donating Breanna's organs,” said Jordan's mother, Sadaf, at a North Shore Long Island Jewish Health System organ donor awareness month celebration Tuesday. “If it wasn't for that donation, we wouldn't have our baby today.”On Jan. 26, Jordan received his new heart in a 4-1/2-hour surgery preformed at Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of New York Presbyterian. Since the operation, Jordan has had regular hospital visits and everything has checked out, although he will need to be monitored by doctors for the rest of his life. The Trimarchis came to the organ transplant event to help spread awareness about the importance of being an organ donor, which they both are.”As amazing as doctors are, they can't do anything without an organ,” said Jeff Trimarchi, who realized the magnitude of allowing a newborn baby to be an organ donor. “It's a hard decision for people to make.”Trimarchi, who works at a Manhattan law firm, created a Web site during his wife's pregnancy as a way for his friends and family to keep up with all of the happenings of the couple's first child. He said that since the transplant the site has changed from a way to update family to an incredible story of his young son's epic first months of life.”It kind of gave me a mission,” said Trimarchi. “Something to do while we were waiting for a heart.” The site has new entries that include the reaction to the news of Jordan's need for a heart all the way up to the Trimarchis' thank you to Breanna's family. Trimarchi said he is going to keep updating the site with pictures and stories because when he doesn't, he said “I get a lot of complaints.” Reach reporter Peter A. Sutters Jr. by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300 Ext. 173.
