Man Cycles Cross Country To Meet Family Of Heart Donor

A cycling enthusiast received a greeting like no other as he completed a cross-country bike ride to hug his heart donor's parents for the very first time. After suffering a heart attack at age 32, Mike Cohen, from San Diego, California, was told he would not be able to ride his bike any more because it would be too dangerous. Mike had a golf ball-sized blood clot in his left ventricle, and after receiving an assisting device, a clot was later found in that, too. As a result, Mike was placed on the heart transplant list, which led him to receive the heart of Navy Lieutenant James Mazzuchelli, who died in an accident aged 32. Organ transplant recipients are encouraged to establish a level of communication with their donor's family, Mike said, and around six weeks after he was discharged he received a letter from James' mother, Christine Cheers. James' heart allowed Mike to build his fitness again, and, eventually, return to riding his bike. Because of the second chance James' heart had given him, Mike promised his donor's family that one day he would visit them.

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