Ledyard teen dies in hospital after being taken off life support

Ledyard - Matthew Buriak, the Ledyard teen who collapsed during a football game on Saturday, died Tuesday after being taken off life support at Connecticut Children's Medical Center in Hartford, a hospital spokesman said.

Buriak's family decided to donate the teenager's organs, which were to go to three people awaiting transplants, according to school officials and family friends.

Michael Graner, Ledyard's superintendent of schools, said Leon and Roberta Buriak told him Tuesday that their son had said he wanted to be an organ donor when he got his driver's license this year.

"That's the kind of kid he was," Graner said. "Matt represents the absolute best we have to offer in Ledyard: an honor student, a three-sport athlete, a talented singer. He is the epitome of what we value in Ledyard, so the loss is just immeasurable."

The Buriaks are "overwhelmed by the support of the Ledyard community and Ledyard High School in particular," Graner said.

Buriak, a 16-year-old junior, died at 2 p.m. Tuesday, said Christopher Boyle, a spokesman for the hospital. Boyle had no further information about what caused Buriak's death.

Buriak collapsed Saturday during a junior varsity football game at Fitch High School in Groton, but doctors do not believe his condition was the result of sports-related trauma, officials have said.

At Ledyard High School Tuesday, students and teachers wore yellow ribbons emblazoned with Buriak's name or initials. Many wore green in honor of the Buriak family's Irish heritage. Students left notes on his locker and signed large banners hung in the school lobby, and more than 1,200 people joined a
Facebook group called "Pray for Matt Buriak."

"A lot of kids here have been taking part in counseling, a lot more than yesterday," said Graner. "It's a somber day, a prayerful day here. … But the teachers are here and they're teaching, and the students are here and they're in class."

Buriak will be honored Thursday at the annual Thanksgiving Day varsity game between Ledyard and Fitch, Graner said.

His wake is scheduled for 4 to 8 p.m. Friday at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Gales Ferry. The funeral will be held there at 10 a.m. Saturday, with burial following at Avery-Stoddard Cemetery on Route 214.

Because Our Lady of Lourdes holds about 300 people, funeral plans call for family and adults to sit inside with students and others to sit under a tent outside. Organizers are seeking someone to donate the use of a tent.