The Lasting Connection of a Son's Donor Heart, and the Love that Came with It

Aimee Herd : Feb 26, 2013
Ty Swenson – WestSeattleHerald.com

"The world unfolds in ways that I cannot fathom, but I trust and believe in the way things are, and that all things happen for a purpose." -Nancy Roberts

(Seattle, WA)?It's a love story right out of a movie?except it's real life. And it begs the question; when a heart transplant patient receives that new heart, is he somehow connected to the donor in ways that have yet to be understood? Perhaps . . .

Connor Rabinowitz seemed to have a bright future ahead of him; in his Minnesota high school, he was a top-rated catcher and it looked like he might get the full ride baseball scholarship he'd been working toward.

That is, until the routine medical exam he went for revealed devastating news. Due to a genetic disease, he was in desperate need of a new heart?just to survive.

"Baseball was my life for 17 years and it was hard to get over the fact that it was over for me," explained Connor. "The sicker I got throughout my 96-day stay in the hospital the more I realized baseball is just a game, and life is so much more than that.

"I would lie in bed at night and pray for a heart to come quickly or I wouldn't make it. I would think every day and night about the person who would have to die for me to live. I prayed for that family who would be receiving such a different call from that of mine."

His wait ended 96 days later, when Connor was informed they had found a perfect match.

Kellen Roberts, of West Seattle, was just a young man, but?almost as if he knew he had to take it all in while he could?he lived his short life to the fullest.

Kellen traveled all over the world, but his journey ended on a trip to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, when in a freak accident to his head, he died. He was an organ donor.

Kellen's mother, Nancy wrote, "We were so grateful that Kell's organs were able to be donated, and thrilled, as we know Kellen would have been, that he was able to save six lives. It gave us such joy and hope in the middle of our enormous loss."

Back in a Minnesota hospital, Connor reacted to the news of his coming new heart.

"This means a man just died, yet he thought that in his death he could save multiple lives by donating his organs," said Connor. "I was so thankful for this person I couldn't stop crying."

The transplant operation was a success . . . but that's not the end of the story?it's really just the beginning.

Wanting to find out more about his donor, Connor learned about Kellen, calling him his "hero" for his decision to be an organ donor.

Connor wrote to Kellen's family in Seattle who agreed to meet their beloved's heart recipient.

In the 2nd year after his transplant, Connor went to Seattle to meet Kellen's family for the first time.

That's when he met Erin, Kellen's younger sister. "It was a connection at first sight," describes Connor about the introduction.

Erin and Connor's connection grew stronger with every visit, and when he graduated from a Minneapolis college in 2012, Connor made the move to Seattle so he and Erin could be together. It's rumored that "wedding bells" will most likely be heard in the future.

Oh, and what does Connor do now, since he had to give up baseball?

He is a trained cardiac (heart) ultrasound technician. After all, Connor knows just how important a heart can be.

Nancy Roberts notes that although she misses her son, "The world unfolds in ways that I cannot fathom, but I trust and believe in the way things are, and that all things happen for a purpose. I thank my son daily for the gifts he gave us when he was here with us in body, and for the continuing gifts he gives us daily. One of those tangible gifts is Connor and his unexpected presence in our daily lives."