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Case 10 I think she wanted to be on Broadway more. I want to be a nurse, but I could be a doctor too. I hope she will be happy, because she will always be my angel, my sister in my chest. I carry my angel with me everywhere." The recipient's mother reported: "We can sometimes hear her talking to her heart. It's like a ‘Dear diary' thing. She puts her hand on her chest and talks to who she thinks her donor is. Once we found her holding a stetho- scope to her chest to try to hear her new heart. I think she still does that sometimes. And the only other thing is that she really wants to go to medical school now. She never wanted to do that before, but that's because I don't think she thought she would live. She's already changed her college classes." but I could be a doctor too. ‘Thope she will be happy, because she The donor was a 34-year-old police officer shot attempting to will always be my angel, my sister in my chest. I carry my angel arrest a drug dealer. The recipient was a 56-year-old college pro- with me everywhere." fessor diagnosed with atherosclerosis and ischaemic heart disease. The recipient's mother reported: The donor's wife reported: "We can sometimes hear her talking to her heart. It's like a "When I met Ben [the recipient] and Casey [Ben's wife], I ‘Dear diary' thing. She puts her hand on her chest and talks to almost collapsed. First, it was a remarkable feeling seeing the who she thinks her donor is. Once we found her holding a stetho- man with my husband's heart in his chest. I think I could almost scope to her chest to try to hear her new heart. I think she still see Carl [the donor] in Ben's eyes. When I asked how Ben felt, I does that sometimes. And the only other thing is that she really think I was really trying to ask Carl how he was. I wouldn't say wants to go to medical school now. She never wanted to do that —_ that to them, but I wish I could have touched Ben's chest and before, but that's because I don't think she thought she would live. talked to my husband's heart. She's already changed her college classes." "What really bothers me, though, is when Casey said offhandedly that the only real side-effect of Ben's surgery was Case 9 flashes of light in his face. That's exactly how Carl died. The The donor was a three-year-old boy who fell from an apartment bastard shot him right in the face. The last thing he must have window. The recipient was a five-year-old seen is a terrible flash. They never caught boy with septal defect and cardiomyopathy. the guy, but they think they know who it is. The donor's mother reported: I've seen the drawing of his face. The guy "It was uncanny. When I met the family has long hair, deep eyes, a beard, and this and Daryl [the recipient] at the transplant real calm look. He looks sort of like some of meeting, I broke into tears. Then we went the pictures of Jesus." up to the giving tree where you hand a token The recipient reported: symbolising your donor. I was already Historically, "If you promise you won't tell anyone my crying when my husband told me to look at we name, I'll tell you what I've not told any of the table we were passing. It was the donor transplant recipients my doctors. Only my wife knows. I only family with Daryl sitting there. I knew it knew that my donor was a 34-year-old very right away. Daryl smiled at me exactly like have been reluctant to healthy guy. A few weeks after I got my Timmy [the donor] did. After we talked for share such experiences heart, I began to have dreams. I would see a hours with Daryl's parents A A Ao flash of light right i face and fac ro arts eae ws wows | with their physicians | Seo Mtr nny ts ay strange at all after a while. When we (and In many cases, before that time, I would get a glimpse heard that Daryl had made up the name A A of Jesus. I've had these dreams and Timmy and got his age right, we began th Wee rer now daydreams ever since: Jesus and amilles an friends). to cry. But they were tears of relief then a flash. That's the only thing I can because we knew that Timmy's spirit say is something different, other than was alive." feeling really good for the first time in The recipient reported: my life." "I gave the boy a name. He's The recipient's wife reported: younger than me and I call him "I'm very, very glad you asked him ‘Timmy’. He's just a little kid. He's a about his transplant. He is more both- little brother like about half my age. ered than he'll tell you about these He got hurt bad when he fell down. flashes. He says he sees Jesus and then He likes Power Rangers a lot, I think, a blind flash. He told the doctors about just like I used to. I don't like them the flashes but not Jesus. They said it's anymore, though. I like Tim Allen on probably a side effect of the medica- Tool Time, so I called him Tim. I wonder where my old heart tions, but God we wish they would stop." went, too. I sort of miss it. It was broken, but it took care of me for a while." DISCUSSION The recipient's father reported: The cases reported here are representative of more than 74 "Daryl never knew the name of his donor or his age. We didn't transplant patients, 23 of whom were heart transplant recipients, now either until recently. We just learned that the boy who died _ that were brought to Pearsall's attention over the past 10 years." ad fallen from a window. We didn't even know his age until Since the cases were collected sporadically and clinically, it is now. Daryl had it about right. Probably just a lucky guess or not possible to calculate the percentage of patients who reported something, but he got it right. What is spooky, though, is that he degrees of personality changes that did or did not parallel the not only got the age right and some idea of how he died, he got donors to various degrees. The present report provides theoretical the name right. The boy's name was Thomas, but for some reason _and empirical justification for conducting a controlled compre- his immediate family called him 'Tim’." hensive study. The recipient's mother reported: Historically, transplant recipients have been reluctant to share "Are you going to tell him the real twilight zone thing? Timmy such experiences with their physicians (and in many , even fell trying to reach a Power Ranger toy that had fallen on the with their families and friends). Moreover, the prevailing belief ledge of the window. Daryl won't even touch his Power Rangers that memories are stored primarily in the nervous system (and any more..." secondarily in the immune system) would decrease the likelihood Historically, transplant recipients have been reluctant to share such experiences with their physicians [ead ene ee (and in many cases, even with their families and friends). DISCUSSION The cases reported here are representative of more than 74 transplant patients, 23 of whom were heart transplant recipients, that were brought to Pearsall's attention over the past 10 years.'° Since the cases were collected sporadically and clinically, it is not possible to calculate the percentage of patients who reported degrees of personality changes that did or did not parallel the donors to various degrees. The present report provides theoretical and empirical justification for conducting a controlled compre- hensive study. Historically, transplant recipients have been reluctant to share such experiences with their physicians (and in many cases, even with their families and friends). Moreover, the prevailing belief that memories are stored primarily in the nervous system (and secondarily in the immune system) would decrease the likelihood APRIL — MAY 2005 NEXUS = 31 www.nexusmagazine.com