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Love affairs are not
unusual for young teenagers today. It's not particularly
surprising when such love affairs are broken for some reason
or another. Normally, teens get over the hurt they feel for a
broken relationship and discover that there are other "fish in
the sea."
This very typical
pattern of teen love began as Felipe Garza, Jr. began dating
Donna Ashlock. Felipe and Donna dated until Donna cooled the
romance and began dating other boys.
One day, Donna doubled
over in pain. Doctors soon discovered that Donna was dying of
a degenerative heart disease and desperately needed a heart
transplant. Felipe heard about Donna's condition and told his
mother, "I'm going to die and I'm going to give my heart to my
girlfriend." Boys say some irrational things like this from
time to time. After all, Felipe appeared to his mom to be in
perfect health.
Three weeks later,
Felipe woke up and complained of pain on the left side of his
head. He began losing his breath and couldn't walk. He was
taken to the hospital where it was discovered that a blood
clot vessel in his brain had burst and left him brain dead.
Felipe's sudden death mystified his doctors! While he remained
on a respirator, his family decided to let physicians remove
his heart for Donna and his kidneys and eyes for others in
need of those organs.
Donna received
Felipe's heart! After the transplant, Donna's father told her
that Felipe had evidently been sick for about three months
before he died. He said, "He donated his kidneys and eyes."
There was a pause and Donna said, "And I have his
heart."
Her father said, "Yes,
that was what he and his family wished." Her expression
changed just a little. She then asked her father who knew. He
told her, "Everybody." Nothing else was
said.
Several days later, a
funeral procession seemed to roll on forever through the
orchards and fields of Patterson, California. The procession
was so long it might have been that of a prince, but it was
Felipe. His only claim to fame was his love and his heart.
It's unforgettable when a person gives up his life so that
someone he loved could live. It would be unforgettable if you
had received a new and healthy heart from someone who loved
you more than you could appreciate. Every moment you lived
would be a tribute to the one who loved you so much that he
gave his life for you.
