Chet Szuber has his daughter’s heart

Ezekiel 11.19 I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. 20 Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. By the time Chet Szuber, from Harrisville MI, was 50 he had two massive heart attacks, three bypasses surgeries, and was on a waiting list for a heart transplant. His daughter Patti was an organ donor. She died after a fatal automobile accident in TN. Though the family knew Patti had signed an organ donor card months earlier, they were stunned when a doctor said... “‘You can have Patti's heart,’” Chet Szuber recalled. “Well, I was flabbergasted. I had never considered it; never thought about it. And I couldn't say, ‘No’ fast enough. A million things went through my mind: Is this right, is this ethical? Is this a selfish move? Can I stand the thought of every heartbeat reminding me of Patti? And I turned it down.” (reported on the CBS Early Show, August 20, 2004 – 10 years after Patti’s accident) Chet Szuber refused the offer, but minutes later felt something. He said, “I don't want to sound corny at this point, but as I was waiting for the elevator, I swear Patti was pleading with me to accept her gift. And I thought, ‘My God, you know - How am I going to explain this to the family?’” Chet did explain it and the family agreed. The doctors recovered Patti's heart at 4am in TN and it arrived in Michigan at 6am. Chet cried as he said, “Patti's heart took its first beat at 9:47 that morning in my chest.” Almost immediately, Chet Szuber not only felt healthy, but also felt the beat of his daughter's heart. He said he feels she is always with him. It’s been 11 years since the surgery (in 1994) and Chet Szuber is still healthy and active. He has his daughter’s heart. Because of Patti, two blind ladies now have vision, two others share her kidney, and another has her liver. But the most meaningful transplant was her heart. Chet Szuber said, “As Patti looks down and sees all the good she's done, she has to be the happiest angel in heaven.” Jesus did this and more. He was more than an organ donor. His death was no accident. He died to save you. He gave you life. He put a new heart and a new Spirit in you. Try this. Put your hand over your heart. Be still. Be quiet. Do feel it beat? Now pray – Father, thank you for the heart transplant. You took my stone-heart out and gave me the heart of Jesus. I will never be the same. Move me to follow you degrees and keep your laws. Amen.