Nation & World News

Mother overwhelmed after hearing dead son’s heart beat in another man

PORTLAND, ME - APRIL 25: Sue Ellen Monaghan rests her head on Jon Claflin's chest, listening to his heart in Portland, ME on Saturday, April 25, 2015. Monaghan's son, Tim Conley, was an organ donor, and when he passed away last fall at work, five of his organs went to people on transplant lists, including Claflin. Conley's heart saved Claflin's life. (Photo by Whitney Hayward/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images)
PORTLAND, ME - APRIL 25: Sue Ellen Monaghan rests her head on Jon Claflin's chest, listening to his heart in Portland, ME on Saturday, April 25, 2015. Monaghan's son, Tim Conley, was an organ donor, and when he passed away last fall at work, five of his organs went to people on transplant lists, including Claflin. Conley's heart saved Claflin's life. (Photo by Whitney Hayward/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images)
By Cox Media Group National Content Desk
May 6, 2015

A tragedy brought two families together, and a young man’s heart changed both families forever.

Sue Ellen Monaghan was devastated when she lost her only son.

Tim Conley, 25, suffered a head injury while at work and never recovered.

Conley was an organ donor. His transplanted organs saved the lives of four people, including Jon Claflin.

While in the emergency room for treatment of his rapidly failing heart, Claflin, 52, and his wife received the news that a heart was available.

According to the The Portland Press Herald, Claflin was among 2,655 people in the United States to have heart transplant surgery in 2014. Over 4,100 people remain on the heart donor waiting list.

After recovering from the procedure, Claflin wrote Monaghan a thank-you letter, as is recommended by the New England Organ Bank. In the letter, Claflin wrote, “I know that there are rules regarding what I can say, but there are no rules regarding what I feel.” He thanked the Monaghan family for their “amazing generosity” and wrote how now he had a chance to see his new granddaughter grow up.

After the two families agreed to exchange contact information, a meeting was quickly set up at Monaghan’s home.

It was an emotional encounter for all involved. During the visit, Monaghan pulled out a stethoscope and placed it on Claflin’s chest, so she could hear her son’s heart beating.

http://youtu.be/tHIKe6jFNTg

Her son’s transplanted heart is helping her cope with the grieving process. “His heart is still beating, and I’m his mother, and that to me is everything. It’s everything,” Monaghan said.

For more on this story, visit The Portland Press Herald.

Tim Conley was a hero after death, his heart was donated to man in Massachusetts. Here's a video of Tim's mother meeting the man with Tim's heart for the first time.

Posted by Portland Press Herald on Sunday, May 3, 2015

About the Author

Cox Media Group National Content Desk

More Stories