Longest surviving heart transplant patient dies

According to WUSA 9 TV from the D.C., Virginia, Maryland area (see http://www.wusa9.com/news/health/story.aspx?storyid=89641&catid=28), Tony Huesman, the longest surviving heart transplant patient has died. He lived 31 years after his transplant until skin cancer took his life. He developed viral cardiomyopathy at 16 and was transplanted in 1978 at Stanford when he was 20.

Even though this is a sad story, it has a good side, too. A caring, generous donor gave Tony 31 years of life that he would not have had otherwise. I suspect that Tony would say not to shed any tears or grieve for him because he was very blessed. I'm sure he would encourage everyone to sign up to be an organ and tissue donor so that someone else might have the same second chance and 30+ extra years he got. To that I would say .... Amen.