Shaun Szmak of Buffalo became an eye and tissue donor upon his passing on Dec. 4, 2010. This remembrance was shared by his parents, Colleen and Doug.
Shaun was born June 26, 1979. He was our second son, he has an older brother named Doug (we call him Dougie).
Shaun was born prematurely and required a lot of attention. He spent a few months in the hospital due to being born premature. We were told by the doctors that he would most likely be a learning-disabled child, and a small child due to all his issues. Shaun proved them wrong, he grew up to be a very tall man, but yes, he did have some learning issues. Shaun struggled most of his childhood years in school; nothing came easy for him, which was very frustrating for him.
As Shaun got older he loved to use his hands, always making stuff out of wood; that was his love. He was very content with doing these kind of things, building things. Shaun was also very good with working on cars and motorcycles. He was the neighbor kids that everyone would come to to get something fixed. He had a heart of gold and was always willing to help someone.
Shaun was not able to hold down a job for a very long time, due to his learning disability issues, but always would move on and find another job.
Growing up, Shaun was a happy child. He was always there for his family and friends, always ready to help someone out. Shaun had a lot of hobbies; baseball, bowing, football, skiing -- there wasn't much he did not try. We called him our little daredevil.
Shaun’s biggest loves were his motorcycle and his cars. Shaun never got married, but had two children. He spent many hours with his son, Andrew teaching him all about dirt bikes and motorcycles.
Shaun was a very loving individual, and because of that, when he passed away we felt it was the right thing to do, to donate his tissues. 
We know in our hearts that is what Shaun would have wanted. He had a heart of gold and the most beautiful eyes.
Shaun has forever changed our lives and we miss him dearly. We know that by donating, Shaun has helped a lot of people.
We truly believe God had a plan for Shaun, and he is in a better world. That helps us cope with the death of our son.