My Z News

Death is always tragic. The loss of a loved one is even worse. If there is even one remotely positive thing that can come from having to say goodbye to those you care about, it’s organ donation. Even though one person died, their organs can often save the lives of several people in dire need of them.

Organ donation and transplantation are one of the true miracles of medical progress. We’ve successfully overcome one of the biggest hurdles in saving lives. In some cases, such as kidneys or livers, we can even perform this procedure between two living people. A healthy person can get by on just one kidney or only a portion of their liver. An unhealthy person whose kidneys or liver are failing can often become healthy by receiving just one (or a portion) as well.

Other organs aren’t so readily shareable. Our hearts, for example. Unfortunately, we each need the one we’ve got to keep on living and thriving. While much progress has been made in the way of artificial hearts, they’re expensive and the recipient can’t always handle the mechanical pump. Natural hearts, too, are challenging. They’re hard to come by, and even then there is no guarantee that the recipient’s body won’t reject it.

That happened twice to a young girl named Aubrey. Now 18, a decade ago her body had already rejected two donated hearts. It wasn’t until she received the heart of a young man named Mikey that she found a perfect match and thanks to his generosity, she’s still alive today, to attend Mikey’s sister Monique’s quinceanera. The two have never met, but when Monique gets to hear her brother’s heartbeat? Well, watch and see.

H/T: Fresh News

Read more: http://www.wimp.com/older-brother-heart-recipient-quinceanera/