SOUTH BERWICK, Maine — Troy Pappas died more than 2½ years ago, yet he continues to give. Joe Kinan is living proof.
The Massachusetts man was one of the most severely burned survivors of a 2003 fire that killed 100 and injured more than 200 at a nightclub called The Station in West Warwick, Rhode Island.
Kinan has endured more than 120 surgeries since the blaze, including the amputation of the fingers on his left hand.
Pappas, a former three-sport athlete at Marshwood High School and an organ donor, died Oct. 5, 2012, from injuries suffered in a fall at Bates College, where he was a wide receiver on the football team.
Two days later, Kinan received Pappas’ left hand in the first hand transplant ever performed at Massachusetts General Hospital.
“Even after this long I still can’t put a word to it,” Kinan said of the gift. “It’s too much to put into words, it really is.”
Kinan’s actions said it all Saturday.
He used that hand to throw a ceremonial first pitch between the varsity and alumni baseball games at the third annual Troy Pappas Day as the community continues to honor the memory of a young man who impacted so many in such a short time.
“It was very special,” Mary Pappas, Troy’s mom, said. “We’re happy that he wanted to do it. He’s having really good success with the transplant. We’re thrilled that we can have a tiny glimmer of hope in this whole tragedy.”
It was an emotional day for Kinan, who has gotten to know the Pappas family in recent years and has met with them several times but was making his first appearance at Troy Pappas Day.
“We’ve really enjoyed getting to know him, and we’re really happy that they’re part of their lives,” Mary Pappas said. “We think they feel the same. We’re really happy that they were able to join us today.”
“They’re all fabulous people,” Kinan said.
He was there with his wife, Carrie, and their infant daughter, Hadley.
“This is a wonderful thing,” he said. “I’m glad I was included.”
“We invited him up for the weekend and told him what was happening,” Mary Pappas said. “Within our conversation the first pitch came up. He was more than willing to do it. It was really nice.”
Kinan, 46, suffered third- and fourth-degree burns over 40 percent of his body from a pyrotechnics display at a rock concert that raged out of control. He attended with his then-girlfriend, who did not survive.
The former amateur body-builder lost all of his fingers, both ears and sight in his left eye. He also had his scalp entirely burned off.
Kinan, who is left-handed, chose the have the left hand attached because it was the more damaged than the right. The operation took 15 hours.
“I’m doing pretty well,” he said. “My hand is perfectly healthy even after all the other sicknesses I’ve gone through the past six months. The hand has always been perfect.
“It’s a long process,” Kinan added, “but if you take care of it the right way, in the end it’s worth it.”
“He did everything he was supposed to do to make it successful,” Mary Pappas said. “We appreciated that.”
The Pappas family also appreciate the way the community continues to support Troy Pappas Day in a big way.
“We find it very comforting,” Mary Pappas said. “We can’t thank the community enough.”
“It’s a little bit easier,” John Pappas, Troy’s dad, said. “The first one was really hard. It’s nice to see all the familiar faces.”
Zack Quintal, a senior third baseman on the Marshwood baseball team, was a freshman when Pappas was a senior.
“Troy loved to wrestle me at the end of every practice,” he said. “That was his way of saying you’re one of us. He really knew how to keep things loose; but when it was go time, it was go time.”
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.