TAUNTON, MASS. (WHDH) - A Taunton woman who donated her kidney as a promise to her late husband became emotional after meeting the recipient.
Before Rosemary Heath’s husband, George, was killed nearly three years ago while saving a pregnant waitress from a knife attack at the Silver City Galleria, he told her to donate his organs if he died before her.
His organs could not be saved that night but she still felt obligated to uphold the promise she had made.
“When he couldn’t do it, I had to. I had to,” she said. “I was so angry the night that it happened. I walked in here; I said I’ve got to make it right George. I’ll do it.”
In November, Heath donated her kidney to a woman in her 30s who had issues related to kidney failure. She got to meet the recipient on Sunday.
“As soon as I met them, I felt like I had known them for years. We sat down; we had an amazing conversation,” she recalled. “It was really emotional and I didn’t quite show the emotion when I was there, but on my way home, I cried the whole way home.”
Both women are continuing to heal from the surgeries.
“I feel fantastic. I really do. I feel good. It’s a connection. It’s full circle now. It’s completed,” Heath said. “She’s going to have a wonderful life and I can’t wait to be a part of it.”
Heath says she is hoping the recipient can come to a fundraiser in memory of her late husband in June.
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