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.
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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.
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