Young organ donor honored; April is National Donate Life Month

MILWAUKEE - April is National Donate Life Month.

To kick it off, a young man's life was honored Tuesday, April 2, for his efforts to save the lives of others after his fatal plane crash.

Daniel Perelman was killed in May 2022, after crashing the plane he was flying. He was only 18.

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Perelman's family keeps his memory alive.

"He's with us every day, hour, minute, second of our lives," said Ben Perelman, his father. "He said, ‘I want to be an organ donor,’ and he was very passionate about it."

A selfless act that gave the gift of life to four people.

"Through his organs, both of his kidneys, liver and heart, so we are here to commemorate that," Lola Perelman said. "It makes it feel like something good came out of such a tragic event."

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Next month marks two years since his death. His family said seeing Daniel live through others gives them purpose, especially when organ donations are desperately needed.

To put into perspective, 90% of Americans do support eye, tissue and organ donations, but only 60% have registered. In Wisconsin alone, 1,400 people remain on the waitlist for an organ transplant.

Perelman’s family continues to support and celebrate organ donation efforts.