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Jul 3, 2006

"We are all broken and wounded in this world. Some choose to grow strong at the broken places." --Harold J. Duarte-Bernhardt

The Boy Who Saved Seven Lives

It made headlines, and broke hearts worldwide. Highway robbers shot Nicholas Green, a freckle-faced, 7 year-old from California holidaying in Italy. He died two days later. The story might have ended with that tragedy, but his parents Reg and Maggie Green made a very different decision, and one that had a dramatic impact. They donated their son's organs to seven Italians -- among them a mother who had never seen her baby's face; a diabetic who had been repeatedly in comas; and a boy of 15, wasting away with a heart disease. Today all seven are alive, healthy and leading full lives. The Greens' act of compassion in the midst of devastating circumstances led to an unexpected outpouring of love and support from around the world, and something now called "The Nicholas Effect" -- thanks to which organ donations in Italy alone have nearly tripled. A moving interview with Reg Green has