A JOINT RESOLUTION honoring the life and memory of christopher duffy collins.
Whereas, Christopher Duffy Collins was born in New Hanover County to Bruce Eugene Collins and Mary Jo Ashby Collins; and
Whereas, Duffy Collins was a 1995 graduate of Walter M. Williams High School in Burlington, where he was a member of the tennis and golf teams, served as vice president of the student body, and participated in several clubs, including Latin, Environmental, and Philosophy; and
Whereas, Duffy Collins attended the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNC‑G), where he studied anthropology and religion before finding an interest in nursing; and
Whereas, Duffy Collins was an active and energetic person all of his life; as a young child, he earned the 1989 Sugar Babies Bambino Sportsman Award for the City of Burlington and earned the distinction of becoming the City's first baseball player to receive the winning game ball, after striking out 11 players, and as an adult, he earned a second-place finish for Amateur Men in Disc Golf during the Alamance County PRO‑AM Cross State Contest and a first place finish in the Amateur Division for Disc Golf during the Cross State Double Contest between North Carolina and Tennessee; and
Whereas, before graduating from college, Duffy Collins was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease that affected his kidneys, requiring him to endure more than two and one‑half years of dialysis treatments while waiting for a kidney donation; and
Whereas, despite the difficulties with his health, Duffy Collins was able to keep a positive attitude as well as maintain his grades while at UNC‑G; and
Whereas, Duffy Collins died on September 16, 2005, at the age of 28, after a courageous battle with renal failure; and
Whereas, Duffy Collins's community was greatly affected by his death and showed a tremendous amount of support to his family; and
Whereas, to honor Duffy Collins's memory, his high school alma mater established the Duffy Collins Memorial Scholarship for students accepted to an accredited four‑year college or university with an interest in nursing or other health‑related fields of study; and
Whereas, Duffy Collins's parents established the Duffy Collins Organ Transplant Foundation, a nonprofit tax deductible foundation, to bring about awareness of organ donation and to raise money to defray costs for transplant patients, especially in North Carolina, where there are more than 3,000 North Carolinians currently on the waiting list for transplants; and
Whereas, less than half of those on the waiting list survive long enough to receive a transplant, which can take an average of seven to eight years; and
Whereas, each organ donor can save up to eight lives; Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the Senate, the House of Representatives concurring:
SECTION 1.  The General Assembly honors the life and memory of Christopher Duffy Collins and expresses its appreciation for the impact he had on his community.
SECTION 2.  The General Assembly encourages the citizens of this State to become organ donors to help people like Christopher Duffy Collins live a longer life.
SECTION 3.  The Secretary of State shall transmit a certified copy of this resolution to the family of Christopher Duffy Collins.
SECTION 4.  This resolution is effective upon ratification.