Source: WJFW Newswatch 12 | Lane Kimble
Minneapolis, MN - Kim Messenger was with his wife the day she died.
"We didn’t get the miracle we wanted," Kim said.
Karen Messenger died at the age of 41, leaving Kim and his sons to face the difficult decision of donating her organs.
But Kim says Karen made it easy for them, having told him just weeks prior she wanted to be a donor. "I knew her wishes and when that doctor and that nurse on January 4th sat us down, we had our two sons with us. I said, ‘Boys you know what mom wanted. She wanted to be an organ donor.'"
Two years later and after months of letters and phone calls, Kim drove to Minnesota to meet Felicia Frenchwood, the woman who received Karen's heart.
"I knew the heart was going to be the hard one, but I knew the spirit she had, it’s just like the spirit Karen had," Kim said. It was wonderful. It was just fantastic."
"I just really couldn’t believe it," Felicia said.
"I was like, ‘Am I really going to meet them? And I was just, kind of leery seeing them and them seeing me. They have pictures of me, but just meeting them face to face was really just nervous for me.”
Felicia says she now speaks at high schools and other places, telling people how important it is to donate.
"You really need to donate, Felicia said.
"Because when you take it with you, where are you taking it? When you can actually help someone else and give someone else another chance at life. I’m grateful for that.”
Kim echos Felicia's philosophy and says he too preaches the importance of organ donation.
"It’s easy, it’s simple and it just takes the burden off the family at that very, very difficult time in their life."
Even with Kim's outlook on life, it is impossible for him to not look back. But he says his wife still gives him the strength to go on.
"It’s very tough. But, I feel Karen’s there every step of the way to get me through it, you know?"
For more information, click on the link below. Wisconsin Donor Information
"We didn’t get the miracle we wanted," Kim said.
Karen Messenger died at the age of 41, leaving Kim and his sons to face the difficult decision of donating her organs.
But Kim says Karen made it easy for them, having told him just weeks prior she wanted to be a donor. "I knew her wishes and when that doctor and that nurse on January 4th sat us down, we had our two sons with us. I said, ‘Boys you know what mom wanted. She wanted to be an organ donor.'"
Two years later and after months of letters and phone calls, Kim drove to Minnesota to meet Felicia Frenchwood, the woman who received Karen's heart.
"I knew the heart was going to be the hard one, but I knew the spirit she had, it’s just like the spirit Karen had," Kim said. It was wonderful. It was just fantastic."
"I just really couldn’t believe it," Felicia said.
"I was like, ‘Am I really going to meet them? And I was just, kind of leery seeing them and them seeing me. They have pictures of me, but just meeting them face to face was really just nervous for me.”
Felicia says she now speaks at high schools and other places, telling people how important it is to donate.
"You really need to donate, Felicia said.
"Because when you take it with you, where are you taking it? When you can actually help someone else and give someone else another chance at life. I’m grateful for that.”
Kim echos Felicia's philosophy and says he too preaches the importance of organ donation.
"It’s easy, it’s simple and it just takes the burden off the family at that very, very difficult time in their life."
Even with Kim's outlook on life, it is impossible for him to not look back. But he says his wife still gives him the strength to go on.
"It’s very tough. But, I feel Karen’s there every step of the way to get me through it, you know?"
For more information, click on the link below. Wisconsin Donor Information
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