‘That’s what he lived for’: Buffalo Grove High School security guard’s legacy lives on through organ donation

Buffalo Grove High School security guard Orlando Rivas died shielding the lives of students from a falling pole near the school parking lot.

Now, even in death, he continues to help save lives, including his aunt’s, through organ donations.

Rivas was honored Friday morning by the Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network in a flag-raising ceremony at the high school where he touched the lives of students and staff members.

According to information provided by the network, Rivas donated a heart, two lungs and two kidneys. He also donated his cornea and tissue.

Among those who received an organ donation was his aunt, Gloria De Jesus, who was on hand for the ceremony.

During school dismissal on April 21, a woman driving out of the parking lot crashed into a pole, which, in turn, struck Rivas. Rivas, 52, of Buffalo Grove, was taken to a hospital and died from his injuries on April 24.

An Elmwood Park woman was cited for three traffic violations.

However, Rivas’ legacy lives on with a part of him remaining in his aunt’s body and in others who benefited from his organ donation.

De Jesus received her nephew’s right kidney.

“When my brother passed away, we talked to the Gift of Hope, and she was able to receive my brother’s kidney,” Orlando’s sister, Damaris Rivas, said.

“Gloria and Orlando were a match. So we were able to expedite that process for her, because of a direct donation,” said Ashley Ocasio, senior donor family specialist with the network.

Gloria, speaking in Spanish through Damaris, said she is feeling fine.

Damaris said her brother’s gift has benefited many people. But she said it has also been sad watching her family bear the burden of grief.

“It’s great to feel that he saves lives, but we lost a life,” she said. “That definitely was a hard thing.”

Rivas’ widow, Erin Rivas, said her husband wanted to be an organ donor and continue to help others even after he was gone.

“That’s what he did and what he lived for, taking care of others, helping when he could, lifting people up,” Erin Rivas said.

Dr. Harry Wilkins III, president and CEO of the Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network, one of 54 organ procurement organizations across the country, said more than 110,000 people across the country are waiting for an organ. In Illinois, the figure is around 5,000 people.

“Every 8 minutes, someone else is added to that list for an organ transplant, and they may wait years before they receive it,” Wilkins said.

“Without champions like Orlando, there is no story,” Wilkins said during the flag-raising ceremony. “Without champions like Orlando, there is no hope. And without champions like Orlando, there is no transplant.”

Buffalo Grove High School Principal Jeff Wardle said it was no surprise to hear that Rivas donated his organs.

“His whole life was about others,” he said.

In only one year at the school, he made a large impact on people’s lives there, Wardle said.

He recalled how hundreds of students wrote notes sharing their memories of him.

“He had a gift, the ability to make a connection with so many kids,” he said.

Wardle remembered how Rivas would cheer student athletes after a hard practice and get excited for them after a win.

Wardle said the school gives students a questionnaire asking how connected they feel to the school and whether they have a trusted adult there. During the year Rivas worked there, more than 200 additional students said they felt connected.

“I know that’s because of him,” he said.

“We all wish he was here,” he added. “But his legacy is living on.”

There are many ways to sign up to become an organ donor besides applying for a driver’s license. Visit giftofhope.org or registerme.org, Wilkins said.

“I always think of it as a ripple,” Wilkins said. “You throw a pebble in a pond, and you never know how far that ripple extends, because it’s not just the recipients. It’s their friends. It’s their families and their loved ones.”

One organ donor can save up to eight people and help many more through tissue and eye donation, Wilkins said.

His organization urges people to register, get information for themselves, and talk with their families about their decision.

“I miss him so much,” Erin Rivas said. “I was with him for 20 years. For him just to be gone one day is hard. We’re continuing to get up every day and live our best lives, because that’s what Orlando would want us to do.”

szalusky@dailyherald.com