Young donor's heart now beats for someone else

HLN TV | AJ Willingham

When Alisha Girdner was young, she said she wanted to be a pediatrician. She wanted to help people. When she was 10-years-old, she told her family she wanted to donate her organs if she ever needed to. It was a request her family never dreamed they would have to honor.

Now, Alisha’s heart is beating in the chest of a complete stranger. She was just 15-years-old when a car accident claimed her life almost two years ago, and in accordance with her wishes, her family donated one kidney, both lungs, and her heart.

Last week, the Girdner family got to meet a recipient of Alisha’s kindness. Jim Haney has Alisha’s heart. After 14 heart attacks, it was her gift that has kept the 64-year-old alive.

Read more: http://www.hlntv.com/article/2012/03/27/heart-transplant-patient-alisha-girder-jim-haney