Today the nephew of one of our closest friends received a heart from a young man in is 20s who had died in an accident.
The recipient of the heart is a man in his 40s who was born with a heart condition that has left him on the precipice of death. His loving wife and two daughters have been dealing with the rapidly, progressively deterioration of his health. With the marvel and true miracles of modern medicine, he's been kept alive awaiting a donor heart. Early this morning, surgeons replaced his failing heart with one from a very young man.
What an indescribable decision for the young man and his family. I have no knowledge of the family or the young man. Perhaps he had consciously decided to be an organ donor in the event of his untimely death. If so, what a courageous decision for one so young. But it's equally possible that he hadn't thought that far ahead and the decision was made by his parents or wife. I'm profoundly in awe of parents or a wife who could, in the midst of the immediate tragic grief of losing a son, make such an indescribable decision. While grieving a loss, they were able to see through the grief and horror of losing a son or husband to save the life of another. And let there be no argument, without this heart, it is most likely the recipient would not live to see another birthday.
Coming from the Marine Corps, I'm well aware of those who willingly laid down their lives to save their comrades on the battlefields around the world. The immediate decisions of Corporal Jason Dunham, Specialist Ross McGinnis, and Master-at-Arms Second Class Michael Monsoor have all been recognized with the Medal of Honor for having jumped on grenades in combat, saving the lives of their fellow warriors in Afghanistan. These heroes were in battle and made the ultimate sacrifice. In the heat of battle, they made a decision to sacrifice themselves of their comrades, the men alongside whom they had trained and fought.
The family of the accident victim, however, didn't know the recipient. It wasn't a conscious decision to offer one life so that others may live. It was a horrible, terrible, tragic event that resulted in the death of one with an entire life before him. We must wonder at what the Lord would have set before this young man in the years to come. Marriage? Parenthood? There is no way of knowing.
The only knowledge which I can recognize is that without the indescribable decision to save a life, a man with a loving wife and two wonderful daughters wouldn't be presented with an chance to celebrate his next birthday and eventually that of his full future.
May God bless the young man and his family for providing, in the midst of unspeakable tragedy, the ultimate gift of live (and love) for a perfect stranger.
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