Yep! Hard as that is to believe . . . and many of you know how hard it was for me to give up one of my two kidneys. I had to stop and stand still when I heard that yes, there could be a living heart donor. I had to change my speeches, too!
But, if someone needed a lung transplant and received one from a deceased donor, the medical team might decide the new lung transplant might have a better chance with the deceased donor’s heart, thereby a heart and lung transplant from the deceased donor would be performed. The patient’s heart might then be transplanted into someone who needed a heart transplant. It is absolutely astounding to me when I review the medical advances in my lifetime.
If you know when the first heart transplant took place, you would revel in the advances. Trivia! Do you know what year it was?
I have met people who have lost a loved one. A loved one who thought enough of his fellow man to be an organ donor. I have witnessed the donor’s loved one resting their head upon the chest of the recipient to listen to a heartbeat. The heart of their loved one who donated his organs to a stranger. There isn’t a dry eye around when people witness such an event. It is the magnitude of what we cherish – life!
On this St. Valentine’s Day, reach out to those who mean the world to you and tell them you love them . . . with all your heart!
p.s. The first heart transplant occurred in 1967.