South Korean victim who died in Ride the Ducks crash saves a man waiting for liver transplant
SEATTLE - The letter begins, “Dear Haram’s Parents.”
It’s addressed to a couple in Korea whom Brian Weiss has never met.
“I am the 49 year-old male who received the precious gift from your daughter Haram,” Weiss wrote.
The day 20 year-old Haram Kim lost her life, Weiss was fighting for his.
“It’s amazing how my and her life crossed,” Weiss said.
Haram is one of five people who died in September when a Ride the Ducks boat slammed into a charter bus carrying dozens of North Seattle college students on the Aurora Bridge. At that same moment, Weiss, who is from Montana, was in a Seattle hospital and he needed a new liver to survive.
“I got this bacterial infection and it sent my liver out of control,” Weiss said.
Right now about 120,000 people are waiting for an organ donation across the country, and doctors say liver transplants are more time sensitive than many others.
“For some patients, it could be hours to a few days especially if they are in an acute liver failure,” Dr. Nidyanandh Vadivel of Swedish said.
Haram's family donated her liver in time and Weiss was the one on a long list to receive it.
“I would like to thank them for the great sacrifice they made of giving up their daughter's liver - they are her organs,” Weiss said.
At first, he wasn’t sure it was Haram's liver until he received a letter from the donor's family a month ago.
“We are proud and happy that Haram's healthy organs could be donated to somebody offering a happier, healthier life to the person,” the family wrote.
A grieving family from across the globe, giving the gift of time to Weiss' family.
“You don't take it for granted, cause your life can change in a heartbeat,” Weiss said.
Because of Haram, Weiss is able to create more memories, from his daughter's senior prom to more road trips with his wife.
“It is nice to know there are such special people in the world who care about other people so much,” Weiss said.
As a show of gratitude, the letter from Korea now hangs on his wall, a reminder to live life to the fullest.