A father recounts the day his son became a super hero and saved 20 people

When Rogelio Valdezco III was a young boy, he would ask his father Roger if what happened to Tony Stark a.k.a. Iron Man was possible in real life.

"'Tay, puwede po ba talagang matanggal ang puso kahit sandali at magkaroon ka ng super power?" he would muse.

Roger, a teacher, would always tell his son that things like that don't really happen in real life. Nonetheless, Rogelio was gripped by the idea and, even when he was in college, would still pose the question to his father.

During the briefing for National Kidney Month at the National Kidney and Transplant Institute on June 13, Roger told the press that in the end, his son proved him wrong.

Rogelio became a hero at the age of 18 years, 11 months, and 3 days. He saved 20 people and unlike Iron Man, he didn't have to build a super suit or be a billionaire to do it.

Rogelio fell ill one Saturday for which he had to be hospitalized for days on end. The doctors were at a loss to explain what happened to him and all they could do was monitor his condition, which only worsened.

The doctors suggested a craniectomy — a surgery that involves removing a part of the skull to reduce brain swelling — but they left Roger and his wife to decide if they wanted the procedure to be done.

"But [what] happened was, 'yong pasyente na rin mismo ang nagbigay ng sign," Roger said.

Rogelio's condition did not stabilize and, inside an elevator of all places, Roger recalled his son's wish to become Iron Man. He decided that the best thing he could do was take Rogelio's heart, donate it to someone in need, effectively giving him super powers.

"Doon ko naisip na tama pala siya...tama ang anak ko na puwede pa lang ibigay ang puso para magkaroon ng powers sa ibang lugar. Sa ibang tao, puwede 'di ba?" Roger said.

In addition to his heart, Rogelio's liver, kidney, eyes, and other organs were harvested to extend another patient's life. His eyes alone were able to help 18 other people.

Roger and his wife's decision turned a tragedy into a story of heroism and a celebration of the continuity of life — something that the Department of Health, NKTI, the Kidney Foundation of the Philippines, and REGALO have lauded.

Organ donors are real life heroes and it takes very little to become one. You can indicate your intention to donate your organs on your driver license or you can carry around an organ donor card, which you can download and print via the Organ Donor Card Facebook page. — LA, GMA News