Family Mourns Organ Donor Son, But ‘Hears’ Heartbeat In Vietnam Vet He Saved

Matt Heisler, a 21-year-old organ donor attending the University of North Dakota, probably wasn’t aware that he would be called to service at such a young age, but it was never a decision he took lightly, according to his dad.

“He made the decision that if life ever slipped away from him, he would give life to someone else,” said Jared Heisler.

And since Matt’s untimely death in a house fire in March, he’s been on a life-saving spree. KARE 11 reports that Matt has helped more than 60 people, including a 46-year-old woman, who received one of Matt’s kidneys. The other went to a 56-year-old woman. His liver saved the life of a 61-year-old man.

But perhaps most touching of all because the Heislers could actually hear it; his heart went to a Vietnam veteran diagnosed with the potentially deadly condition of amyloidosis.

Tom Meeks was told that without a heart transplant, he would not be able to survive. He was passed over three times due to his age, but the Mayo Clinic of Rochester, Minnesota, was finally able to conduct the life-saving operation thanks to Matt’s decision to become an organ donor at 16.

The Heislers — his parents and younger sister, Casey — finally got to meet Meeks this month, eight months after they said goodbye to their loved one. Casey broke down when she heard her brother’s heartbeat working inside Meeks’ chest.

“This is awesome,” Matt’s dad said as he listened. “We’re very proud of Matt.”

“Obviously, in my case,” Meeks said of the Heislers, “[they] are always going to carry a warm spot in my heart.”

According to KARE 11, the Heisler family has set up a scholarship in Matt’s honor at Provincial Bank in Rochester.

Concerning the importance of the organ donor, Life Source’s Rebecca Ousley says that “every 10 minutes a name is added to the waiting list” and that someone dies waiting “every 18 minutes.” Furthermore, more than 3,800 people are waiting regionally, and more than 123,000 nationally.

In another recent organ donor related story, the Inquisitr reported on the doctors in China who touchingly bowed to an 11-year-old cancer patient, who decided to donate his organs to save others.

Liang Yaoyi, from South China’s Guangdong Province, had been fighting a brain tumor since he was 9-years-old. Despite the best efforts of his doctors, they were not able to eliminate the cancer. As Liang neared the end of his fight, he told his mother that he wanted to donate his organs so he could save the lives of other children.

What do you think of being an organ donor? Do you know anyone who isn’t signed up, and if so, what reasons do they give for not doing it? Share in our comments section.