A rare intimate gathering is planned for this weekend in St. Joseph as the recipient of an organ donation will meet the family of the donor who saved her life. The Indiana Donor Network tells us 31-year-old Sharon Culbreath was diagnosed with congestive heart failure and an enlarged heart, and despite years of treatment, she was told she needed a new heart. The day Joseph Reaume died unexpectedly in Florida, Culbreath was placed on the transplant list, and the next day, Reaume’s heart was inside Culbreath’s chest. On Saturday, Culbreath will meet Teena Smith, the mother of Joseph Reaume, in St. Joseph, and give to her a Build a Bear she had made that contains a recording of Smith’s son’s heartbeat. The Indiana Donor Network tells us nearly 90% of organ recipients never meet the families of their donors. This is a rare exception. Saturday’s meeting between Culbreath and Smith, a St. Joseph resident, will include a host of family members on both sides to celebrate Reaume’s life and his family’s decision to donate. It is planned to be a private gathering.
