Edward Damirr Ross, who died last year, and his son Jace. The Lenape High graduate was a Mount Laurel native.
After an untimely death, the family of a former Lenape Regional High School graduate decided to continue their loved one’s passion of giving to those in need through organ donation.
National Minority Donor Awareness Month is celebrated annually in August to honor the generosity of multi-cultural organ and tissue donors and their families. It also highlights the critical need for diverse communities to register as donors. NJ Sharing Network – the federally designated nonprofit focused on saving and enhancing lives through the recovery of donated organs and tissue – leads a variety of community-awareness activities throughout the month.
According to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), nearly 4,000 New Jersey residents are waiting for a lifesaving transplant, with 67% being people of color. One organ and tissue donor can save eight lives and enhance the lives of more than 75 people.
The late Edward Damirr Ross, a 29-year-old known affectionately as Damirr, is described by family and friends as having had a unique energy, charisma, and charm that made others want to be around him.
“You could feel his energy when he walked into a room,” recalled his mother Dana Drummond. “(Damirr) didn’t have to say a word. His radiant smile was always memorable. We could always count on him to listen and give the best advice when we needed it most.”
Damirr – a Mount Laurel native – demonstrated a youthful passion for learning and excelled academically, graduating with honors from Lenape High School.
“He was an avid reader and was equally dedicated to his physical health,” Drummond said, “and loved to work out.” In his later years, Damirr’s favorite activity was spending time with his two children, Jace and Jouri.
His life was cut short unexpectedly last November after he was shot. Yet even in death, Damirr’s legacy of giving continued with the gift of organ donation. His family made the generous decision to donate his heart, liver, kidneys, and pancreas, helping sick people of all backgrounds throughout New Jersey, New York, Boston, Florida and California.
“During that difficult time in the hospital, we knew (organ donation) was the right thing to do,” Drummond recalled. “Damirr would be so proud that he continues to be a star as his legacy lives on.”
Drummond also expressed gratitude for the care her son received from the Cooper University Medical Center and NJ Sharing Network teams.
“They were sincere and compassionate every step of the way,” she remembers. “We appreciate everything they did for us. It blew my mind when we learned that less than 1% percent of people are able to be organ donors.
“It made us realize just how special Damirr’s gifts would be.”
Lars-Kristofer N. Peterson, an MD in emergency medicine at Cooper, expressed his gratitude to Drummond and all of Damirr’s family members.
“Their generosity and courage in participating in organ donation are testaments to their resiliency and the bright light that Damirr brought to the world,” he noted. “(Damirr’s) impact will continue through them and the gifts he made to the organ recipients.”
To learn more, get involved or join the National Donate Life Registry as an organ and tissue donor, visit www.NJSharingNetwork.org.
