2017 Isak Anderson

ISAK ANDERSON

Organ and Cornea Donor

Age 14 ~ Sparta, NJ

Donated on July 2, 2015

at Morristown Memorial Hospital, New Jersey

Honored by dignitymemorial.com

Isak had a brilliant mind, and knew how to use it wisely. Isak was genuine. He made people feel a sense of love and comfort that is hard to come by. Isak was loyal. He was not quick to let people in, but once you were in, you were in for life. Isak was musical. Music, and the guitar in particular was the key to Isak’s soul. After spending 20 minutes on YouTube he could play a Jimi Hendrix tune like a pro, and never failed to tell if you were “tone deaf.” Through his family’s journey with the New Jersey Sharing Network, there is a new adjective describing Isak: heroic. His kidneys, liver and his corneas have been donated to recipients in need. He is always in his friend’s and family’s hearts.

Isak’s Story

It would be impossible to describe Isak because truth be told he is other-worldly. He was brilliant, but chose when to use his brilliance wisely. At 8:00 on a Monday in pre-algebra, Isak would put his genius on the back burner until he was sitting around with his dad and friends rattling off Devils hockey statistics about games that happened 20 years before he was born.

Isak was genuine. He made people feel a sense of love and comfort that is hard to come by. Isak was loyal. He was not quick to let people in, but once you are in, you’re in for life.

Isak was musical. Music, and the guitar in particular was the key to Isak’s soul. After spending 20 minutes on YouTube he could play a Jimi Hendrix tune like a pro, and never failed to tell you if you were “tone deaf.”

Isak was a lacrosse goalie. He was the last line of defense, and the only person you would want in the net when it came down to win-or-lose.

Through our family’s journey with the New Jersey Sharing Network, there is a new adjective we get to use when describing Isak; heroic. Isak donated his kidneys, his liver and his corneas to recipients in need. Knowing that our beloved Isak’s beautiful, smiling and gifted soul is not only with us, but with his organ recipients has been a key component to navigating our grief.

Green has become our family color. Speaking with someone in the grocery store and noticing they still wear their green bracelet lets us know that we are not alone. As a family, and a community, we celebrate Isak, and the lives he saved. The green bracelet honors a friend, a son, a brother, a goalie, a musician, the life of every party, and a hero. Always in our hearts.