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15-Month-Old Baby To Save Multiple Lives: Bereaved Father And MMA Fighter Marcus Kowal To Donate Organs Of Brain-Dead Infant Involved In Hit-And-Run

By Patrick Frye
Published on: 09:09 PST, Sep 6, 2016

A father, whose 15-month-old baby suffered brain damage after being involved in a hit-and-run case, has taken the heart-wrenching but noble decision of donating all his organs.

A bereaved father plans to donate his son’s organs after he was pronounced brain dead Sunday. The mere 15-month-old baby sustained life-threatening injuries after an alleged drunken driver crashed into the infant and his teenage aunt in Los Angeles County. The father, a professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter, had to take the toughest decision no parent ever wishes even in their worst nightmare; to take the baby off life support system and donate all his organs after doctors declare him dead.

The 15-month-old baby, identified as Liam, has not been taken off life-support yet. While technically the infant is still alive, his father has confirmed the decision after consulting with his wife. The husband-wife duo does not know the recipients of their baby’s organs. However, they have signed the relevant paperwork which permits doctors to surgically extract all possible internal organs and transplant them to other patients, revealed the father, identified as Marcus Kowal,

“The boy’s body is being kept alive in preparation for organ donation. The man we would have raised him to be… he would want to do that anyway.”

“I’ve lost my son but he wasn’t in pain. That’s the one thing out of this. He was never in pain. It happened so quickly.”

The accident happened on 133rd Street and Hawthorne Boulevard around 4:20 p.m., confirmed local law enforcement officials. They added that the teenage female was pushing the baby in a stroller inside a Hawthorne crosswalk, when they were both struck by an SUV, which was driven by Donna Marie Higgins. The teenager miraculously survived the accident.

Shockingly, 72-year-old Higgins didn’t stop after hitting the stroller. Instead, she floored the accelerator and sped off in a desperate attempt to flee. However, witnesses who had seen the crash gave chase. Multiple witnesses used their own vehicles as mobile barricades like the police do, and blocked Higgins’ car and prevented her from escaping until police arrived and took the old woman into custody.

Incidentally, it wasn’t her advanced age or her presumed poor vision that was the reason for the accident involving a large stroller. Though the police have booked Higgins on felony hit and run charge, they have added felony drunken driving to the charges. It is strongly believed the woman was driving under the influence of alcohol. The woman appears to be financially well-off because despite the judge setting a lofty bail of $100,000, the woman posted it and is now out of jail.

The charges are bound to change once the medical facility where 15-month-old Liam is being kept alive artificially, takes the toddler off life-support. Once the poor baby is taken off life support and declared dead, Los Angeles County district attorney’s office will most likely update charges against Higgins. The woman is likely to be charged with homicide or murder, shared officials familiar with the case.

Liam’s father is a decorated MMA fighter. The MMA community has reached out to the bereaved family. The local MMA organization California Xtreme Fighting, has scheduled an event on 10 September for the Kowal family. The event will include a silent auction of autographed boxing and MMA merchandise. A portion of the tickets and the proceeds of the auction will be handed over to the family.

Apart from the all the help, friends of the family have set up a GoFundMe page. All the donations from the page will help the family with the substantial medical expenses. The family has shared they will conduct a funeral for the toddler who is going to help many even after his death.

[Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images]

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