Families share emotional first meeting after organ donation

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    ASHEBORO, N.C. (WGHP) — An Asheboro church held a special service to recognize organ donors who helped save other lives and encourage people to sign up to become one.

Before the service, two families who’ve never met got the chance to see each other for the first time.

Susan Hunt stood inside of a room with tears filling her eyes just moments before she met Kathy Matthews.

Matthews received Hunt’s son’s liver and kidney after he passed away due to a drug overdose on June 12, 2019.

“When they see me they see something positive,” Matthews said.

Both women and their families embraced each other tightly. Hunt even embraced her mid-section area where her son’s organ now lies.

Hunt says the news of her son’s death hurt her to the core, however, she’s happy his organs were able to live on through someone else, especially someone who really needed it.

Hunt attends local high schools to reach out to the youth about the dangers of doing drugs.

“I’m just trying to stress to them that they absolutely cannot try these drugs, but if they are and I know just the based on statistics. Sign up to be an organ donor because that’s the only thing that’s going to get your parents through this,” Hunt said.

Matthews was in need of a kidney after battling liver disease. She was on the waiting for those organs for two years. She was nervous yet excited to meet the donor organ family.

“I told them that I will spend the rest of my life taking care of Keaton’s organs because they are precious to me and they saved my life,” Matthews said.

Tuesday night, several gathered inside of the First United Methodist Church in Asheboro for the service to honor organ donors.

Several attendees shared their testimonies on how donors help save their lives and vice versa.

If you would like to become an organ donor, visit donatelifenc.org

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