For his first Halloween, Robin Buritica Carvajal dressed up as a surgeon. His smile was beaming as he posed in his hospital scrubs for a photo. He was only 15 months old at the time and too young to realize his dream of becoming a doctor one day.
Robin, who liked to be called Junior, moved to the United States from Colombia when he was five years old. Even though he didn’t speak much English, Junior passed Kindergarten without any trouble. He didn’t let his language barrier stand in his way of excelling in the classroom, and in a few months he was speaking English fluently and even writing in cursive. Outside of the classroom, making friends proved to be more difficult but by the time he was a teenager he also mastered that challenge.
Once he arrived at high school, Junior was quite popular. He ran varsity track and played on the Northern Virginia Soccer Club while keeping up with his studies. His mother, Silvia Leitch, says Junior was outgoing, happy, energetic, sentimental, smart and unique. He was especially mesmerized by the magic of science and motivated by his desire to help people. Junior went on to graduate high school with honors, which made Silvia a very proud mom.
“I want to be an organ donor to help people if something happens to me. When I die I don’t need my organs, and I can give them to someone who needs them.”
Silvia, a registered organ donor herself, remembers Junior was adamant about this decision at the DMV. Junior began taking classes at a community college with plans to transfer to Georgetown University to study medicine and ultimately become a cardiovascular doctor. “Junior had so many dreams. If he wanted something he always achieved it,” said Silvia.
In October 2017, Silvia’s world changed when she learned Junior had suffered a tragic fall. Despite the best efforts at Reston Hospital Center, Junior was declared brain dead. Silvia knew right away she would honor her son’s wishes. Junior became an incredible donor candidate.
The surgery was a major success. Junior donated both of his kidneys and lungs, his liver, pancreas, and heart to patients in need, and his intestines were recovered for research. He also donated tissue that enhanced dozens, if not hundreds, of lives across the US and Canada.
“Junior’s dream was to become a cardiovascular surgeon and save people’s lives. In the end, Junior’s wish to help other people was realized differently, with his marvelous gifts. He saved five lives. As a mother, I couldn’t be more proud!”
Silvia later had the incredible opportunity to meet the man who received Junior’s heart. This process brought her healing and joy, leading her to become an advocate for organ donation. Today, Silvia continues her studies to become a dental hygienist—a path she stayed on even through her grief, inspired by the essay Junior helped her write and the dreams he always encouraged her to hold onto.