MOBILE– Reg Green, father of Nicholas Green, a seven-year-old California boy whose tragic death and subsequent organ donations, touched the lives of thousands of people around the world, was the keynote speaker at the first annual Kidney Patient Education Conference, Nov. 21 at the Mobile Marriott Hotel. The event, designed to help people with kidney disease lead healthier lives, was presented by the University of South Alabama Regional Transplant Center and Alabama Kidney Foundation. Additional support was provided by Fujisawa and Network 8.

It was ten years ago that tragedy struck the Greens while on a vacation to Italy. Would-be thieves mistook the family's rental car for one making deliveries to jewelry stores. The Green children were asleep in the back seat at the time. Nicholas was shot in the head during the botched robbery. The decision by the Greens to donate their son's organs and corneas, led to a worldwide increase in awareness of the shortage of donors. A made-for-television movie, "Nicholas' Gift," starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Alan Bates, was made of their story. The Greens have since devoted their lives to getting the word out about organ donation. Anyone wishing to learn more about organ donation, can contact the USA Regional Transplant Center at 471-7391 or toll free at 877-421-5704.