Family of 14-year-old killed in UTV accident meets organ recipients

A grieving family of a 14-year-old died in a UTV accident last year had the chance to meet the people saved the teen's organs.

14-year-old Parker Shipman was killed in a UTV accident last October in North Brookfield, and his organs were used to help the lives of several people.

"It's the only positive thing that could come from such a horrible tragedy," Parker's father JP Shipman said. "No parents want to see their child die, certainly a dad with a son. It's the worst thing you could ever imagine."

10 months later, the Shipman family met those whose lives Shipman helped to save.

Kevin Murray, a 67-year-old Beverly native, had been suffering from degenerative lung disease, and wasn't expected to make it to Christmas last year without Shipman's gift.

"I couldn't breathe," Murray said. "I couldn't say more than three words, even on oxygen. Parker had phenomenal lungs, I'm now exercising every day. I'm on the rebound, I'm doing the bicycle, the Stairmaster."

Rylee Burns-Gayewski, a 15-year-old Webster native, was also impacted by the 14-year-old's life, after being diagnosed with a genetic kidney disease.

Last year, Burns-Gayewski also got the call about something that could help.

"She's never been healthier," Jennifer Burns-Gayewski, Rylee's mother, said. "She's energetic, she sleeps better, just a total 180 from what her life used to be."

Shipman's older brother, Brady, was with him during the accident, and started CPR before first responders arrived. The move helped to keep Shipman's organs working and viable for donation.

The New England Donor Services presented him with a certificate for turning a tragedy into a triumph.

Five recipients in all were saved after Shipman's death, with one also receiving a heart.

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Now, there's a piece of Shipman living on in each of them.

"We can't imagine what it's like to lose a child," Jennifer Burns-Gayewski said. "I hope I never have to experience that, but we are grateful for the gift of life."

Murray echoed those statements, after the 14-year-old helped him breathe easy again.

"So grateful," Murray said. "So appreciative. I count my blessings every day."

Cox Media Group