Justina Monkutė
Justina was 19, just a few weeks away from her milestone 20th birthday. She was studying ethics at university, singing in the choir “Ave, vita,” and planning to celebrate her birthday with the choir at a competition in Klaipėda. She had said, „I’ll turn 20 by the sea.” Sadly, she never reached that day.
Justina suffered a brain aneurysm, a condition that strikes unexpectedly and can happen to anyone. Her roommate found her unconscious in bed the next morning. After the ambulance was called, Justina was rushed to the hospital. Doctors did everything they could, but not all cases can be helped, and her circulation never recovered.
Upon hearing the heartbreaking news, her mother Vida unexpectedly asked a question that the doctor didn’t immediately understand:
„Can we help someone else?”
The doctor again explained the damage to Justina’s brain and that restoring circulation was impossible. Her mother then clarified, „Can Justina help others?”
Justina’s organs were transplanted to five people. One person received a kidney. Another received both a kidney and pancreas, allowing a diabetic recipient to no longer need insulin injections for the rest of their life. Two corneas were transplanted: one gave sight to a young girl, and the other to a young man. Her liver was successfully transplanted, giving life back to a father of two.
“Justina loved ladybugs. On the day of her funeral in Jonava, there were none to be bought. People attending the funeral placed them on flowers and pinned them to their lapels. Justina adored this tiny creature, and everyone wanted to say goodbye to her in this special way.”
Justas Lengertas
Justas was 28 years old, a beloved husband and father of two. One day, while working on a tyre in his yard, an accident occurred—the tyre exploded. After an ambulance was called, he was taken to the hospital. On the way, he stopped breathing, but the quick actions of the medics brought him back. For 24 hours, doctors monitored his brain, hoping for a sign of recovery. Unfortunately, the injury was too severe, and Justas was diagnosed with brain death.
Sometime earlier, Justas had asked his wife Inesa, „If you were waiting for an organ, would you want to receive one?” When she said yes, he replied, „If you know how to take, you must also know how to give.” This was the couple’s only conversation about organ donation, and at that time, they had no idea Justas had less than a year left to live.
Thanks to that one conversation and Inesa’s strong decision, Justas was able to help six people.
Edgaras Kundrotas
Edgaras was 30 years old, a young man who helped his parents run their store and bought a house he intended to renovate. He dreamed of working on cruise ships in the United States. Unfortunately, his dreams were not meant to come true.
On the night of the Joninės festival, Edgaras attended a local celebration, where he was attacked by a drunken couple. The angry woman upset that Edgaras had not opened the store to sell her alcohol, struck him in the temple with an empty bottle, causing a fatal injury—a skull fracture. Blood pooled in his brain.
Edgaras returned home, but the next morning, his mother found him unresponsive and unable to speak. An ambulance was quickly called, and he was taken to the hospital, where doctors struggled to understand what had happened, as there were no visible signs of violence on his face.
Edgaras was well-liked in his community, and upon hearing the news, locals held masses for his recovery.
Ultimately, in a comatose state, Edgaras was diagnosed with brain death.
“I held my dying son and cried because he was leaving us, but I knew that another mother was crying, waiting for an organ for her child. That helped me make my decision,” recalls Edgaras’s mother, Aldona.
In such a tragic situation, Edgaras’s parents made the noble choice to donate his organs.
Vilius Ignatavius
Vilius was 31 years old, athletic and charismatic. He danced with the “Žuvėdros” group, was the youth vice-champion, a finalist in international and Lithuanian competitions, and a multiple world and European Latin American dance ensemble champion. He was also one of the founders of the “Mondo” dance center.
Everything changed when Vilius unexpectedly collapsed while playing football—a sport he loved. When the medics arrived, he was already unconscious. Doctors did everything they could, but he was diagnosed with brain death.
His wife, Audronė Bastytė-Ignatavičė, said, “The first thought that came to my mind when I considered donation was that Vilius would want this. We had talked about the significance of the body after death. I immediately called his mother to ask for her opinion. She told me she trusts me completely and allows me to decide.”
Vilius’s mother, Zita Ignatavičienė, added, “Donation is a continuation of life; it is vital for someone. If God did not allow us to continue living, perhaps He allowed someone else to extend their life. Why not?”
In leaving this world, Vilius restored the joy of life to six people.