Fate has a funny way of putting people together. One family that knows that to be true is the Bulger family from Illinois.
In April 2019, Savannah and her family attended a St. Louis Cardinals game at Busch Stadium on Transplant Awareness Day for one very special reason- to honor the brother that they lost.
The Bulger family t-r-a-g-i-c-a-l-l-y lost their son, 21-year-old Donovan, to an ᴀᴄᴄɪᴅᴇɴᴛ in 2016. Donovan was signed up to be an organ donor, and with his ⓓⓔⓐⓣⓗ he saved many lives.
One of those lives he saved was that of John Sueme, a resident of St. Louis who was suffering from heart failure.
John was saved thanks to Donovan’s heart and he expressed his gratitude to the Bulger family shortly after the transplant in the form of a letter.
In response to John’s letter, Donovan’s sister Savannah sent pictures and a note stating that he had received a heart of gold.
The Bulger family never could’ve imagined that years later they would encounter a man at a charity baseball game wearing their brother’s picture on his t-shirt.
Savannah and her siblings wore bright green T-shirts with a photo of Donovan printed on the front, along with the words “brother, organ donor and hero.”. While Donovan’s loved ones gathered to pose for a group photo at the stadium, a woman suddenly approached them. “Are you Donovan’s family?” she asked.
Surprised, Savannah replied yes. The woman then introduced her to a man who was also wearing a t-shirt with a picture of Donovan on the front.
That man was none other than John Sueme, the recipient of Donovan’s heart.
Savannah and her family were astounded at this chance encounter. John embraced each of the family members and allowed them to listen to their brother’s heartbeat for the first time in three years.
When the tears flowed from both the Bulger family and the man with their brother’s heart beating inside of him, a family friend captured the emotional moment on camera.
It’s a moment that both the Bulger family and John will remember forever. Now that they’ve connected, they plan to stay in touch and use the emotional video to spread the word about organ donation.
References: apost.com, littlethings
