Mirtala Garcia gently placed her hand on Sebastian Ti Laurencio's chest, then pressed her ear against it and listened quietly for a moment. "This is my husband's heart," she said. "It is still beating."
A tragic illness took the life of her 38-year-old husband, Julio. After deep reflection, the compassionate wife Mirtala decided to donate six of her husband's major organs to seven patients, using love to help others. The New York Times reported this touching story on the 16th.
Julio died in March 2010 from a brain hemorrhage. Before his death, Julio was very young and strong, and his corneas and six major organs - heart, one lung, pancreas, left kidney, right kidney, liver - were all suitable for transplantation. His wife agreed to donate his organs. This decision by the unfortunate family gave Mr. Laurencio, 57 years old, a new lease on life.
Mr. Laurencio was not the only one helped. Six other people in urgent need of organ transplants also received donations from Julio. Three patients in Washington D.C. received the heart, part of the liver, and the lung; a one-year-old child in the Mount Sinai area of New York received part of the liver. The two kidneys were donated to two friends of Mrs. Garcia. The pancreas was donated to a patient in Minnesota.
This number is quite rare, as usually only three people can receive organs from one donor. More remarkably, the family of the organ donor, Mr. Julio, recently gathered with the patients who received his organs at home, creating an emotional scene. Typically, organ recipients remain anonymous, only sending thank-you letters to the families of donors.
The story of Mrs. Garcia and the patients who received her husband's organs allows people to clearly see the current state of organ transplantation and donation worldwide. Many people in urgent need of organ transplants may lose their lives helplessly while waiting; the families of donors must make the difficult decision, amidst deep sorrow, whether they can look past their grief and make the noble choice to donate their loved ones' organs to strangers.
According to data from the "United Network for Organ Sharing" in the United States, last year there were 111,000 people in the U.S. waiting for organ transplants, but only 28,663 people successfully received the organs they needed. And this year, between 6,000 to 7,000 people will die while waiting.
Compiled/Translated by Wang Yong