12-year-old Roanoke Rapids boy who died from heart condition saves 5 lives as an organ donor

Through being an organ donor, Jojo Fahey is now saving the lives of five other children.

How do you describe a young man like Jojo? His family told WRAL News that to know the sixth grader was to love him – if you could keep up.

"Jojo was a good boy, he loved outside, loved fishing, loved playing football," his grandfather Chuck Norwood said. "He’d run, jump and play just like a normal kid, you’d never think anything was wrong with him, sweet boy."

What people couldn’t see was the battle Jojo’s body was fighting on the inside.

Jojo was born with both Aortic and Pulmonary Stenosis, and those conditions made it harder for blood to move through his heart.

His family had always known about it, but for 12 years, it never caused him any trouble. Then came Feb. 10, when Jojo was at recess with his middle school class.

"One of our sixth-grade students was playing ball with some friends, and said he needed to sit down for a minute or two and catch his breath," said Roanoke Rapids Graded School District Superintendent Julie Thompson. "They realized he was not breathing, they called 911."

Jojo was rushed to the hospital in cardiac arrest.

He fought for seven long days, with a room full of family members by his side, until doctors told them there was nothing more they could do.

"You never think it’ll happen to you," Norwood said. "And it was hard, because Jojo, one day he’s outside playing, the next day, he’s in a hospital bed. It just isn’t right."

The family was shattered. As they prepared to say goodbye to the boy who had been so full of life, doctors asked them another question.

"They wanted to know if he wanted to be an organ donor," Norwood said. "And I agreed with his mama, Jojo was such a kind-hearted person, he would have wanted, if he’d had a say so, he would want that."

On Thursday, Jojo Fahey died. But he also donated organs that will go to five other children in need, saving their lives with his last act on earth.

His family says that legacy will always be the Jojo they knew.

"It’s a good thing, I’m proud of Jojo," Norwood said. "He might not be here, but he’ll always be in our hearts making us proud that he done that."

A spokesperson for the Roanoke Rapids Graded School District said they would be closing Chaloner Middle School on Friday to allow students and staff to attend Jojo’s funeral.

The school is also set to hold a butterfly release for the boy’s classmates on April 14, giving them a chance to honor Jojo’s memory.