By Natalie P. Mcneal, The Miami Herald
Dec. 10–When a Miami robber shot Ulysses Aguilera in the head and stole his gold chain and cross, Coralys Requena donated her son’s organs. He was 16 years old when he died on Aug. 18, 2006.
On Sunday, Requena met 41-year-old Christopher Robinson of Hollywood, who received her son’s heart. And she met Jason Downing, 34, of Fort Lauderdale, who was the recipient of Ulysses’ lungs.
“You never think that your son will die before you do,” said Requena, 40, of Miami. “But meeting these people who Ulysses helped makes me feel better.”
Requena was one of about 500 people, including 100 organ recipients, who attended the Transplant Foundation’s holiday party on Sunday at the Signature Grand in Davie.
“We are reflecting on the miracle of life as well as reflecting on the donor who gave them life,” said Eli Compton, executive director of the Transplant Foundation, an affiliate of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.
For Robinson, getting Ulysses’ heart last year meant he could go back to work. He had suffered a heart attack and had to quit his job delivering appliances.
“Her son gave me my life back,” said Robinson, who has since been given a supervisory role.
At the table, Robinson, Downing and Requena talked about life’s strange turns.
Robinson developed a pizza fetish after the transplant, a food that was a favorite of Ulysses’. And Downing’s newfound sweet tooth was courtesy of Ulysses, too, they agreed.
Downing, who has cystic fibrosis, said his condition was so severe that he coughed up blood, making him susceptible to bleeding or choking to death.
Cystic fibrosis is a chronic, inherited disease that affects the lungs and digestive system. It causes the body to produce unusually thick, sticky mucus that clogs the lungs and leads to life-threatening infections.
“I would have died if I didn’t get the transplant,” Downing said.
But Downing was nervous about meeting Requena, worried he wouldn’t know what to say. He opted for something simple.
“I’m sorry for your loss,” he said. “But I thank you for what you did.”
At the event, organ recipients placed ornaments on a Christmas tree to honor the donors.
Unlike Requena, Barbara Lawrence of South Miami-Dade didn’t have the chance to meet the recipients of her son’s organs.
Her son Sean Carmody, 19, died in a 1993 car crash on his way home from the University of Florida. Lawrence wrote a letter to a young mother in the Florida Panhandle — one of the recipients — but received no response.
“I just want to hear his heart beat one more time,” said Lawrence, who has become an organ transplant activist. But she has no regrets. “He left a legacy,” Lawrence said. “Sean has done something wonderful with his life.”
More than 90,000 people are awaiting organ transplants. For more information, visit www.transplantfoundation.org or call 305-817-5645.
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