Phantom Transplants

When my brother passed away, he was an organ donor. A woman in Greece wrote to thank the family for his corneas. I wonder does she see the beautiful colors he mixed for his paintings?

Sonny Graham was on the verge of death in 1955 due to “congestive heart failure,” he had been given just six months to live.

It was a happy day when he received word that a heart had become available.

It belonged to a 33-year-old man, Terry Cottle who had committed suicide by one shot to the brain, leaving his young bride behind.

After Graham was informed who his donor was, he began to write Cottle’s widow in appreciation. The two met, fell in love and married.

Sunny Graham and his wife.

But love for this young woman wasn’t the only thing these two men shared. Graham discovered that he now craved beer and hot dogs—which were Cottle’s favorites.

Twelve years after his successful transplant, Graham took his own life by shooting himself in the head. Leaving this wife to mourn twice.

The cravings and personality changes that occurred in Sonny Graham’s life are actually often everyday experiences among transplant recipients—but I should note most do not commit suicide.

Organ transplants, including heart, liver, kidney, and lung, etc. have saved many lives. There were more than half a million performed in the U.S. alone, between 1988 and 2016.

There are countless stories about the unusual side effects that occur after these transplants.

Claire Slyvia's book.

Claire Sylvia had a heart transplant at the age of 44. She believes that along with this vital organ that saved her life, she also received her donors’ tastes and memories.

After her operation, she was asked what she would like to do first. Without hesitation, she answered, “I am dying for a beer right now.”

This was strange for Sylvia had always hated the taste of beer.

Over the next few months, she began to have a variety of strange food cravings. Most notably McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets, something she had never desired.

Sylvia now had allergies that she did not have in the past as well as a heightened empathic ability. She also became extremely moody, which was not like her.

She had a series of odd dreams where a thin, tall young man talked to her. He told her his name was “Tim.”

Her curiosity peaked, Sylvia did some research and discovered that a young man named Timothy Lamirande was involved in a motorcycle accident on the same day she received her heart transplant.

He was her donor.

Tim Laminrande

She met his family, and they confirmed all the cravings she was having were Tim’s favorite foods—especially beer.

Oddly, they told her he had just gone to McDonald’s the day of the accident, and a sack of Chicken McNuggets had been found next to his body.

Scientists put forth the idea of “cell memory.” Where cells within organs retain the original owner’s memories and pass them along. 

Here is a paper about changes in heart transplant recipients that parallel the personalities of their donors.