Heart recipient meets donor's family 6 years later
A Fairfield man has reached an important milestone. At the Westport YMCA, Gerardo Lambert is known as a fitness phenom. In 2005, the bodybuilder had one heart attack after another. A severe case of
News 12 Staff
•
Jun 23, 2015, 2:20 AM
•
Updated 3,230 days ago
Share:
A Fairfield man has reached an important milestone.
At the Westport YMCA, Gerardo Lambert is known as a fitness phenom. In 2005, the bodybuilder had one heart attack after another. A severe case of cardiomyopathy had destroyed Lambert's heart.
Doctors put him into a coma while waiting for a donor heart.
Joshua Dahmes died in a motorcycle accident on Father's Day in 2009. His family says that his final act of kindness was that he was an organ donor.
A team of surgeons worked quickly to transplant the donor heart and after four hours, the operation was a success. Now, six years later, the Lamberts got to speak with their heart donor's family for the first time. They were overcome with gratitude and guilt.
Losing her brother is still raw for Lindsay Dahmes, but knowing that a part of him has lived on and has allowed Lambert to be with his family helps her heal.
