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‘Will is still with us’: Louisville woman forms bond with recipient of late son’s heart

By Megan Matthews

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    LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (WPTZ) — An extraordinary bond developed between two women, Susan Palmer and Holly Cole, after Cole received a heart transplant from Palmer’s late son, Will.

Cole, a Louisville native who had fought a lifetime battle with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy — a disease that had taken her father’s life — found herself in need of a heart transplant at just 38 years old.

“There was nothing else they could do, and told me I needed a heart transplant,” said Cole.

For nearly a month, Cole awaited the news of a heart donor. Then, the call came. A heart was available.

“It didn’t seem real. I was so surprised. I was all in,” Cole said.

Cole explained that she felt like she was being given a second chance at life. Several months after the transplant, a letter from Palmer reached Cole. The letter described who Will was and the impact he made in the world.

The two decided to meet later that month, and they became more like family. Palmer now considers Cole her “bonus daughter.”

“I felt a lot of peace come over her, and she knew that she was able to see that Will is still with us,” said Cole.

Palmer and Cole are planning to mark National Donor Day by setting sail on a cruise filled with others who have walked similar paths. The two will join 14 other recipients and donor families as they leave Sunday morning, carrying forward Will’s legacy of kindness and life-giving generosity.

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