Looking back over the year's traumas of bad news after bad news, Vince's third gift becomes apparent. The third gift Vince shared with us was his strength and determination in the face of seemingly impossible odds. He didn't want pity. In fact , he worked hard to keep people at ease. Vince was faced with an illness which robbed him of the lean, muscular body he had worked so hard for. He legs were swollen and they seeped lymphatic fluid; they had to be wrapped daily. It hurt him to walk. The disease caused him to experience the symptoms of the full gamut of mental illnesses: depression, mania, panic. He had been through a surgery which required one of the most painful incisions. His life seemed to be one doctor visit after the other-and good news from these visits was a rare commodity.

Through all of this, he was strong, positive, brave and determined. I know I am stronger because of what he taught me. 99.9 % of the challenges we will all face in life will pale in significance to the challenges Vincent Mark Magnotta faced at the young age of 20. Everyone who shared Vince's battle with him has been enriched by this strength; many of them have told us or written us to acknowledge this strengthening. His former college roommate captured this sentiment in the poem at the end of this article.

Vince was an organ donor. I never encouraged or discouraged his decision to donate. He had asked me in the past if I was. I'm wasn't. I always had thought it was sort of creepy to become a donor. The thought of someone "carving me up" to remove parts was unsettling.

Because Vince was a donor, he was able to donate his corneas. He would have donated more organs but the physicians were afraid of the presence of cancer. Someone will see because Vince had the vision to give. Vince will live on in this person.

Experiencing this gift, I have completely changed my view. Becoming a donor isn't creepy; being "carved up" isn't a scary thought anymore. Being an organ donor is one of the most unselfish gifts of self I can think of. I'm a donor now.

Vince was passionate about the need to share the First Gift. The pain of brain illnesses can be far greater than those of commonly accepted serious physical illnesses. Both types of diseases demand equal understanding and quality of care.

What do you these famous people have in common: Abraham Lincoln, Ludwig von Beethoven, Isaac Newton, Michelangelo, Winston Churchill. They all had a mental illness at least once in their lives. Some contemporaries with bi-polar illness include Buzz Aldrin, Francis Ford, Coppola, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Art Buchwald. Other contemporaries have had bouts with clinical depression include Barbara Bush, Jim Carrey, Dick Clark, Harrison Ford and Janet Jackson. Mental illness is a real physical illness caused by imbalanced brain chemistry . You can't wish it or will it away - just like you can't wish blocked arteries away. Brain illness needs the treatment of medical professionals.

Vincent Mark Magnotta's life was a budded rose ready to bloom, an unfinished symphony. Who would have thought that such a young man could share these profound gifts with us? Using and sharing the gifts Vince gave us, bring meaning to the battle he waged and the dignity with which he fought it. We will all benefit.