For the first time on May 4th, surviving family members of organ donor Anthony “Tony” Mather met one of four organ recipients who benefitted from his donation. Mather’s heart now belongs to local blues musician Gus Thornton, of East St. Louis, Ill. The emotional gathering was held at the home where Mather once lived in Wentzville, Mo. Prior to meeting, both families maintained regular correspondence with each other – either by mail or telephone – and had developed a close relationship.
“[Gus] told me he was gonna open his shirt and let me feel Tony’s heart beating,” said Tony’s mother, Clarita Mather, of Janesville, Wis.
“This kind of meeting between a donor family and a recipient is extremely rare,” said Tammy McLane, director of corporate communications of Mid-America Transplant Services.
After they became better acquainted, both families gathered at the Beale on Broadway to hear Thornton play his bass guitar during a jam session with fellow blues artist, David Dee.
“He’s still a musician; he’s still contributing to the community,” McLane said of Thornton, “because one person made a generous decision to donate.”
Tony was an aspiring musician who also played the guitar; his family said they were thrilled to learn his heart went to another musician.
“I can still see Tony sitting on his bed playing his guitar,” Clarita said.
Tony died unexpectedly on April 22nd, 2011; and his family is still coping with their tragic loss. He was only 46. At 17, Tony signed the back of his driver’s license indicating his desire to be an organ donor. In addition to his heart, three other organs were harvested for donation – both of his kidneys and liver.
In January 2011, Thornton was placed on an organ donor wait list at Barnes-Jewish Hospital; he was 35th on the list. Thornton said he was bumped up to the top of the list and spent several days hospitalized in the ICU where he waited for a new heart. It came on April 23rd.
Although April is Organ Donor Awareness month, the Mid-America Transplant Services advocate for organ and tissue donations year-round. According to the United Network for Organ Sharing, there are 1,454 patients waiting for an organ transplant in St. Louis. Of this number, 455 patients are disproportionately African American. People who need an organ transplant are more likely to have success, if their donor is of the same racial or ethnic group. Yet, African Americans are less likely to sign up to become organ and tissue donors.
“Historically, the African American consent rate lags behind the Caucasian rate,” McLane said. “So, one of our current programs is to increase awareness and education about the topic among this demographic.”
The simplest way people can join the state organ and tissue donor registry, McLane said, is through their local DMV office.
“We really need everybody who is supportive of this cause and want to make this life-changing decision to join the organ and tissue donor registry,” McLane said. “We are trying to save people in our own community. We want it to be as normal as recycling or wearing your seat belt.”
The Mid-America Transplant Services will host its annual Candlelight Memorial Ceremony at Highlands Park on August 25th, at which Thornton has been asked to perform at the bequest of the donor family. According to the family, Thornton has stated an interest in writing a song in Tony’s memory.
Video about this story is available online at stlamerican.com.
For more information on organ and tissue donation, call 314-735-8200 or visit Mid-America Transplant Services at www.mts-stl.org.
