A Tinicum family is honoring the loss of their son and brother by continuing to advocate for giving through the Gift of Life Donor Program.
Cole Gatti was a 16-year-old Interboro High School junior when he was killed April 5, 2023.
Cole Gatti was a Interboro junior who died in a tragic accident in 2023. He lives on through his family and the gifts of life he gave with the donation of his organs. (COURTESY PHOTO)
Gatti was back seat passenger in a car when the driver lost control and the car collided with a truck. The police report said there was no suspicion that either driver was impaired and no charges were filed.
His parents, Jennifer and Jim Gatti, now advocates of organ donation, had Cole’s liver and kidney donated to other recipients. They honor their son’s legacy through participating in the Gift of Life events like the dash at the Navy Yard this coming Sunday and through scholarships they give in a foundation in Cole’s name.
Family and friends of Cole Gatti had a team participate in last year’s Gift of Life Dash and they plan to be there this Sunday. (COURTESY OF JENNIFER GATTI)
“It’s very hard to put into words what you feel,” his mom shared about the moment they were asked about donating her son’s organs. “When they told us Cole wasn’t going to make it, my first instinct was to tell them, ‘Get out.’ It’s very hard.”
She said his dad had taken to get him to get his license that February.
“I just know that Cole would have been disappointed in us if we didn’t do it,” Jennifer Gatti said.
She said there’s a huge misconception with organ donation.
“A handful of people passed a comment to me, ‘Do you really know or did they just want the organs?’ ” she said. “His wallet was left in the car at the scene of the car at the accident.”
She emphatically stressed that that’s not what the Gift of Life is.
Both Jennifer and Jim Gatti spoke highly of the coordinators at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center.
Jennifer Gatti explained they shared that it gives people on the other side who are lucky enough to be a recipient more time.
“If I could’ve gotten Cole to stay,” Gatti said, “I would have said no.”
Two recipients received Cole’s liver and kidney, she added.
The Gattis have a rock garden in memory of their son, Cole, in their front yard. Friends and neighbors are welcome to come and add to it. (COURTESY OF JENNIFER GATTI)
His dad explained that Cole’s heart wasn’t the right size for the recipient who was supposed to get his heart.
“Cole had the biggest heart,” Jim Gatti said. “He was that kid.”
Over the weekend, he took some of his son’s ashes to a place in New York where they went fishing and camping three to five times a year.
“One of the things I learned,” Jim Gatti said, “is if you’re an organ donor, you get to pick and choose what organs you donate.”
The couple spoke about the support they receive from the Gift of Life organization.
Jennifer said they receive regular emails about things happening with the group, including monthly reminders of birth dates and anniversary dates.
With it being April, Cole’s name was on this list and she added, “It’s great seeing his name to know he’s being remember for a selfless act.”
They were also thankful for the time the Gift of Life people took to learn about their son.
“The support you get from them, it’s not just, ‘OK, we got Cole’s organs,’ ” his mom said. “They’re there for you.”
“I was pretty impressed that they wanted to get to know who was Cole was,” his dad said. “They went the extra mile and tried to put us at ease, even playing his favorite music while they were harvesting his organs.”
The memory of Cole Gatti’s generosity is kept alive by his supporters. (COURTESY PHOTO)
‘Put it on your license’
Bill Ginley, one of the coordinators who worked with the Gatti family, said they try to play whatever music the donor would like, in Cole’s case, it was Tupac.
“We take honor in working with the donor and the donor family,” he said. “When we say you’re a donor family forever, we take that to heart.”
He said the amount of families who say yes compared to the amount of patients on the waiting list is wide but they keep trying to give that second gift of life.
Ginley said that for those interested in having their organs donated, the best way to indicate that is on the driver’s license.
“If you put it on your license, it takes away another decision they have to make,” he said. “It kinds of puts the family at ease that they don’t have to make that decision.”
Jennifer Gatti gave an example of how the organization and hospital staff worked with the family.
She remembered talking to them about how Cole would have his thumbs up in nearly all pictures that were taken of him. So, they got an inkpad and took about 27 prints of Cole’s thumb, she said.
Helping others
The family has also set up the Cole Gatti Foundation.
It allows elementary and middle school students to be eligible for $500 toward a new bike if they get good grades and are respectful. Gatti’s mom said they pick the name out of a hat of kids who qualified and they meet up at a store.
Then, they also give out scholarships to graduating seniors going into the trades, which is what Cole had wanted to do, or a medical field.
“The first year, we helped two students,” Jennifer Gatti said. “Last year, we were able to help out three students. This year, we’re actually bumping it up to five students that are getting scholarship. They each get $1,500.”
Their big fundraiser for the year is a beef and beer to be held Aug. 29 this year. Tickets are sold only in advance at colegattifoundation.com and last year, more than 250 attended.
The family also participates in the Gift of Life Donor Dash with an entire team, who complete the 10K, 5K or walk portion.
The Gift of Life Donor Dash, a celebration of the life-saving power of organ and tissue donation, will take place Sunday at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. Organizers say nearly 4,500 children and adults in this region and more than 100,000 nationwide need an organ transplant to survive.
The event is the highlight of National Donate Life Month. For more information, visit donordash.org.
Cole’s team members were among the 16,000 who took part in it last year.