Artist Gets Heart Donor's Art Materials, Presents His Parents With Stunning Portrait Of Their Son
Sep 01, 2020 by apost team
When we move on from this life, we hope we can say that we left a positive influence on the world. One of the most wonderful ways people decide to do this is by donating their organs. Organ donation saves lives, giving people healthy organs so they may continue to be there for their family and friends.
Artist Elisabeth Kepley of Valhalla, New York, knows how important organ donation can be to someone fighting a serious illness. A few years ago, Elisabeth, in her fifties at the time, was diagnosed with heart failure. Facing a grim outlook, Elisabeth waited over a year until doctors found a heart that would be a good match.
Be sure to reach the end of this article to see the full video.
That heart came from 30-year-old Robert Maresca. Rob died after he fell from a ladder in a tragic workplace accident. Despite their immense grief, Rob’s parents, Bob and Marla, chose to donate their son’s organs to people in need.
Rob’s donation helped save the lives of 15 people, including Elisabeth's. According to the Daily Mail, Rob’s parents were also kind enough to give Elisabeth Rob’s art supplies. Like Elisabeth, Rob loved art and drawing.
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Following her heart transplant surgery, Elisabeth has been living life to the fullest every day. According to the Daily Mail, the artist placed fifth in the triathlon at the 2018 Transplant Games in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Despite having fully recovered from her illness, Elisabeth still felt that she owed a debt to Bob and Marla. To assuage their grief and show how thankful she was, Elisabeth chose to paint a portrait of Rob for his beloved parents.
Once the painting was unveiled, Bob and Marla were visibly emotional, tears stinging their eyes as they once again saw the face of their loving son. Bob was especially grateful for Elisabeth’s gesture, saying that she caught his son’s green eyes and wise-guy smile with pure perfection.
Embracing Bob and Marla, Elisabeth told the Daily Mail that she wants the world to know how loving a gesture organ donation is for those fighting serious diseases. Elisabeth believes that the gift of healing is given by the donor’s family in deciding to present total strangers with lifesaving organs.
What do you think of Elisabeth’s story? Do you have any opinion on organ donation? Let us know in the comments and pass this along to your friends and family to keep the memory of Robert alive.