A Veteran's Heart Saves Another Vet's Life

CBS Minnesota | Bill Hudson

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Bill Carlson lives Veteran’s Day every time he puts on his Honor Guard uniform. He’s proud of his service in Vietnam, where he ran flight deck operations aboard the aircraft carrier Coral Sea.

Now that he’s retired, he finds time to honor other veterans by serving in the Elk River Honor Guard at military funerals.

But for Carlson there’s one veteran who will always bear special meaning. “The one veteran who stands out in my life is my donor,” he said.

In 1995 Carlson was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. By September of 2008, it was necessary to implant a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) to take the place of his diseased heart. Less than a year later on June 8, 2009, he would undergo a life-saving heart transplant.

As with all organ recipients, Carlson knows very little about his donor other than he was a 25-year-old Iraqi war veteran who left behind a 2-month-old child.

Read more: http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2011/11/11/a-veteran’s-heart-saves-another-vet’s-life/