The heart of a stranger: Woman meets daughters of man whose heart gave her new life
'I wouldn't be here today if it weren't for you,' Julie Lyons says
Five years after receiving the heart of a stranger, Julie Lyons wept as she ran into the arms of his two daughters, who gave permission for the organ transplant.
"Can I say something?" Lyons asked, fighting back tears in Toronto's Pearson Airport as she looked the two Calgary women in the face for the first time.
"Can I say thank you? Thank you, because you know I wouldn't be here today if it weren't for you."
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Lyons was born with a congenital heart defect called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which is a thickening of the muscle that impedes the flow of blood through the heart if it gets too thick. After decades of struggling with the potentially deadly heart disease, in April 2011 Lyons was placed on the top of a national list for a heart transplant.
"I knew there was nothing for me," Lyons said reflecting back on the night before her surgery. "That was the last ace up the sleeve for me. It was the last card I had, so I think I was okay about it, obviously I lay awake all night."
Truck driver had not signed his organ donor card
On April 16 2011, at the age of 57, Bobby Cox died suddenly after suffering a brain injury.
The truck driver had not signed his organ donor card, so the decision was up to his two daughters, Belynda Garcia, and Carolyn Cox-Disney, who are now 41 and 43.
On April 16, one day after Mr. Cox's death, Lyons received his heart at the Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre in Halifax.
In Bobby Cox's obituary, the Nova Scotia man was remembered for his "kind, open, generous nature." His youngest daughter García, said it was a tough decision but one the family came to unanimously.
"He was an awesome guy. Everyone said he had a heart of gold, so how appropriate that his heart was donated," Garcia said.
As the sisters waited for luggage in the airport's arrival area, they were nervous to meet the woman who now lives with their father's heart.
"It's just really overwhelming, honestly, it's just a flood of emotions," said Garcia.
'Let your family know what your wishes are'
The successful surgery in 2011 motivated Lyons to become an advocate for organ donation, eventually helping her connect with her donor's family.
After years of emailing, Lyons invited the Calgary sisters to meet her face to face in Toronto.
"Everyone's like, 'What are you going to do?'" said Garcia, who was racked with nerves for days up to Friday's airport meeting.
But as Garcia and her sister held Lyons at the airport arrival lounge, she said her whole demeanour changed.
"I am excited, but my nerves, I feel a little bit less nervous now," she said.
Garcia's older sister Carolyn Cox-Disney said their experience has given them a message for all Canadians.
"Think about [organ donation], sign your card and let your family know what your wishes are," she said.