The death of a 23-year-old Timmins man has linked two families in a way they wouldn’t have expected.
In April 2016, Aaron Charles Tinney passed away from an asthma attack. His mother Leslie Tinney says he was on the organ donor list, so when he passed his heart, kidney, liver and pancreas were donated. Tinney says through back and fourth letters, her family ended up connecting with the Bowmanville man who received her son’s heart.
She says the man’s wife ended up making a quilt to thank the family for their son’s heart.
She says she lays the quilt out every day on the end of her bed.
Tinney says the man and his wife came up to visit in the summer. She says this has linked their families and now her mantel not only has her family picture, but also a picture of the Bowmanville man’s family. Tinney adds that she is going to try and connect with the other people who have a piece of her son.
Tinney has since become an advocate for organ donation and encourages everyone to sign up online. She is planning an Organ Donation Awareness Walk on May 26th. More details on that will be released in the future.
