Reader's story: A gift from the heart

"When I read about Azza El Sissi, who received a heart transplant that was needed due to Fabry disease, I decided I had to share my own story."

By Janet, via the Internet

May 2009

Share your stories with us at letters@canadianliving.com.

When I read about Azza El Sissi ("My Heart Will Go On," March), who received a heart transplant that was needed due to Fabry disease, I decided I had to share my own story. My husband received a heart transplant, although his was due to coronary artery disease. He waited seven years. His heart was slowly enlarging, to the point that when he finally did receive a new heart, it was nothing more than a floppy hunk of muscle that could barely do its job. He was in the last stages of heart failure and would not have lasted more than a few months without a new heart.

On Valentine's Day, we celebrated the eighth anniversary of his transplant. Every year I say a huge thank-you to the family of the donor who, in their time of grief, thought of someone else and donated their loved one's organs so that others could live. In a way, their loved one is living vicariously through others.


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