adminThe Herald, June 23, 1986
NEW YORK. – Susan Steffy and Gary Welp headed for the altar on Saturday, apparently the first two people kept alive by heart transplants to wed in the United States, and said their marriage proves that love conquers all.
“If somebody had told me about this a year ago, I would have said they were crazy. But we just fell in love,” said Mr Welp (35), who in January 1984 received the heart of a teenager who died in a car accident.
The guest list for the wedding was topped by a woman – the bride and groom had never met the mother of a 16-year-old girl whose heart gave Ms Steffy (36) a second chance in life. – Ziana-AP.
LESSONS FOR TODAY
A heart transplant surgery is done to remove a defective heart from a person and replace it with a healthy one from an organ donor, especially those that would have just passed on.
Heart transplants give the recipients a new chance at life since the overall survival rate worldwide is about 90 percent after one year and about 80 percent after five years for adults.
People who have gone through such experiences tend to develop a strong bond centred on their experiences. The couple in the story were drawn together because they both had heart transplants and their bond blossomed into love and marriage.
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