When Kisandra Santiago made the decision to donate her dad's heart, she made it her mission to find the recipient so that she and her siblings could hear their dad's heartbeat again. Four years later, it happened.
"This is something that my dad would be so happy to see," said Santiago, a 22-year-old from Meriden, Connecticut. "To know that someone else is alive and breathing and with their family because of him."
Connecticut sisters hear their dad's heartbeat again, four years after his death
Esteban Santiago, a 39-year-old father of four, was rushed to a New London hospital in June of 2019 after an emergency. He spent seven days in a coma before his oldest daughter and next of kin, Kisandra, made the difficult decision to end life support and follow through on his wishes to donate his organs.
Get Philly local news, weather forecasts, sports and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Philadelphia newsletters.
"It was one of the hardest days of our lives," said Kianna Santiago, Kisandra's younger sister.
But it was also the day that Peter Turzer came to know Santiago as his hero.
"I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for him," said Turzer, who received Santiago's heart.
U.S. & World
Stories that affect your life across the U.S. and around the world.
I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for him.
Peter Turzer, heart transplant recipient
Peter Turzer had a health battle of his own.
In 2016, he was injured in a car accident and needed surgery. His wife, Pia, said that the surgery was a success, but Turzer suffered three cardiac arrests in the recovery room. He underwent open heart surgery and later went into a coma for more than a week. On the day that they were going to unplug him, he woke up.
"Every step of the way they told me I wasn't going to make it," said Turzer. "I'm a battler."
Turzer credited his faith for his survival, which he called a miracle.
He had to have his leg amputated but continued his recovery. He eventually became a candidate for a heart transplant and, in 2019, received Esteban Santiago's heart.
“Every day I wake up and my hero is up above," said Turzer. "It’s such a loving, blessing thing that God has given us and I don’t take it for granted by any means.”
About a year and a half ago, donor services connected Kisandra Santiago with Turzer. They have texted, talked to each other on the phone, and even video chatted. But they never met in person. Turzer, who is from Trumbull, recently relocated to South Carolina with his wife.
This July, the week of the fourth anniversary of Santiago's death and Turzer's transplant surgery, Peter made a very special trip back to Connecticut. After four years, Santiago's three daughters heard their father's heartbeat again.
It just felt like home.
Kianna Santiago, heart donor's daughter
“To hear his heart, it is like he is here. Just to hug Peter, it felt so natural. It felt like I was hugging dad," said Kianna Santiago. "It just felt like home.”
As the sisters met Turzer, he hugged each of them and told them that their father is still with them.
“Your father is still with us. He is still part of us," Turzer told them. "And you can count on it. I’m not going anywhere.”
Kisandra said she learned recently that her dad used to talk about being an organ donor. He said that he wanted to donate his heart to someone caring and kind.
"Clearly, today, we met Peter and he is exactly what my dad would have wanted," said Santiago. “I bet he is so happy to be saving someone’s life. I just know. I get that feeling.”
Turzer said he will forever be grateful to Santiago's family. He is hoping to help others by sharing his story. He also said that he will always be there for Santiago's daughters.
“I have another family in my life now," said Turzer.
According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, there are 103,614 people on the national transplant waiting list. To learn more about organ donation, click here.
