Retired Millburn Cop Thankful For New Heart, Organ Donation

A retired Millburn police officer has something special to be thankful for this holiday season: a new heart. Former Millburn Police Officer Joseph Johnson – as well as his wife, six children and three grandchildren – are celebrating the 53-year-old Franklin Park’s recent transplant due to complications from cardiomyopathy, a weakening of the heart muscle.

Johnson served with the Millburn Police Department for 22 years; he retired in 2015, MyCentralJersey.com reported.

In January of 2016, the U.S. Navy veteran began a series of medical treatments at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick after it became difficult for him to stand for fear of losing consciousness, the report stated. (Read the full story here)

After having a left ventrical assist device (LVAD) installed, he faced the prospect of having to be hooked up to a machine every evening. “I felt like a Tesla that you plug in every night,” Johnson told a reporter.

However, after receiving a donor heart from a recently passed young man from New Jersey, the former cop and military veteran is “feeling a lot better” and is looking forward to a happy future with his family.

Johnson told MyCentralJersey.com that he had conflicting emotions about his new heart, but added that he encourages others to consider registering as organ donors.

“I thank God I was able to get my transplant to help me survive, but this person had to relinquish their life in order for me to survive,” Johnson said. "I never really thought about organ donation seriously until now. But I would definitely consider it now if I could.”

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ORGAN DONATION IN NEW JERSEY

The Garden State is full of stories about successful – and emotional – organ donations. Check out five recent stories below. Learn more about organ donation and how to become a donor in New Jersey here.

ESSEX COUNTY INFANT SAVES THREE LIVES

“When the family of Zoë Gina Jackson met their infant daughter's kidney donation recipient six years after her death, there was an instant connection between the two families that transcended the pain and suffering of losing a child. That's just a small part of the touching legacy that the infant Essex County resident has left behind.”

• Read the article here: Essex County Infant Saves 3 Lives

N.J. WOMAN SAVED BY MIRACLE DONATION

"Jill Morton is very familiar with the organ donation community. At a young age, her mother had been diagnosed with kidney failure, was given a new kidney but later died. When Morton was in her 40s with two children she too found herself in the same situation. She was living in Florida at the time when she was diagnosed with kidney failure and placed on a transplant list.”

• Read the article here: Westfield Native Saved By 'Miracle' Organ Donation

MISS NEW JERSEY DONATES ORGAN

"Cara McCollum's memory will live on. The former Miss New Jersey, who was critically injured in a car crash last week, donated her organs using The NJ Sharing Network of New Providence.”

• Read the article here: Miss NJ Donates Organ Using New Providence Foundation

REMEMBERING 'LAUGHTER AND SILLY ANTICS'

“Luke Bautista was the kind of kid who loved to make people smile. Whether it was rocking out to a video of a dog barking along to the 1970s hit "The Hustle" or making funny faces or creating spoof videos, the 15-year-old from Wall found a way to do it. It is the smiles and laughter and silly antics that his father remembers most as he talked about Luke, who died just five weeks after the boy's 15th birthday.”

• Read the article here: Wall Teen's Final Gift: Saving Lives Through Organ Donation

ATHLETE, MODEL GETS TISSUE DONATION

Turia Pitt, an Australian elite athlete and former model and mining engineer, owes her life to tissue donors after more than 65 percent of her body was severely burned in a freak firestorm. "It's crazy to think that I am only really alive because of donations from 16 Americans," Pitt told Patch.

• Read the article here: Severely Burned Athlete/Model Thanks Tissue Donors In New Providence

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