Gregory Welsh, a 49-year-old father and engineering drafter, is a remarkable example of the life-saving benefits of organ donation. After a fatal car accident in 1996, Gregory made the decision to donate his wife's organs. Fifteen years later, his generosity came full circle when on May 18, 2011, four months after suffering a heart attack that made him reliant on an artificial heart, Gregory received a heart transplant. He has since returned to work and is an active hiker and mountain biker. He has also made contact with the family of his donor, Fernando, and happily noted that "we keep in touch and get together often."

Gregory's Story

Gregory Welsh, a 49-year-old father and engineering drafter, is a remarkable example of the life-saving and healing benefits of donation. After a fatal car accident in 1996, Gregory made the decision to donate his wife's organs without hesitation. "Knowing that she may have been able to save a life or help someone else in some way gave me a bit of peace," he said.

Fifteen years later, this generosity came full circle. On Jan. 14, 2011, Greg went to a local urgent care center with flu-like symptoms. It was discovered that he had arrhythmias and a resting heart rate of 190. He was rushed to the emergency room.

"I protested all the way to the hospital," he recalled. Minutes after arriving there, he went into cardiac arrest. "Doctors told me I'd had a major blockage in all four of my heart chambers and had suffered a heart attack. Only about 20 percent of my heart was working."

Greg was implanted with an artificial heart on Jan. 18, and he woke up several days later without remembering the procedure. He was tethered to a 418-pound driver, an external electrical device that powered his heart. After a month of recovery, Gregory was able to switch to the 13.5 pound Freedom driver, and on Feb. 18, was able to leave the hospital and go home. He recalled that his daughter Cassandra helped him with all of the dressing changes.

Three months later, Gregory received a heart transplant, forever freeing him from the artificial heart. "When they told me a donor heart was available, I was really happy but also scared at the same time," he stated.

Today, Greg has returned to work as a computer-aided drafter for a local engineering firm, and he takes time to go hiking and mountain biking. As he said, "I'm so active my friends and family have trouble keeping up with me."

He has since been in contact with the family of his donor, Fernando, and happily noted, "We keep in touch and get together often."