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On the same day the Zimmerman family lost their 14-year-old daughter, Katelyn, the Jeffries family saved the life of their 14-year-old son, Albert.
Katelyn Zimmerman and her younger brother, Dylan, were biking not too far from their home in Florida when they were both hit by a drunk driver and killed. In the hours before she passed away, she told her parents that she wanted to be an organ donor.
In Vermont, Albert Jeffries (fondly known as Al-J) was relying on medicine to stay alive. He had been diagnosed with cardiomyopathy when he was born and was told that he would need a heart transplant if he ever wanted to live a life without needing to survive on medication.
Tragedy brought these two families together.
Katelyn’s healthy heart could serve as a donor heart for Al-J’s weak heart. The doctors performed a successful heart transplant surgery.
Just recently, the Zimmerman parents traveled to visit Al-J to hear their daughter’s heart beat again.
Al-J’s mom, Tina Turner, recalled their meeting as one filled with so many emotions. “We could not stop crying,” she said, “We could not stop hugging. We could not stop thanking them for everything. A thank you is just not enough…”
Father Shawn Zimmerman said through his own tears, “[Al-J] gets to do what Katelyn can’t do, live on, do a kid thing, be a kid.”
Watch the video of both families’ stories here:
