From Death to Life: How One Organ Donor Saved the Lives of Two Friends

Two men. One donor.

And one last chance to live life to the fullest.

Other than their shared affinity for the water, you couldn't invent two men who were more different than swimmer Fred Nelis and sailor Gordon Veldman. One a steady, disciplined, reserved Catholic business leader and family man. The other man an impulsive and colorful serial monogamist and atheist. Yet, they would come to share the rarest of bonds when each received a second chance at life and vitality because of one generous organ donor.

Dubbed the Transplant Brothers by the media, Fred and Gordon were already casual friends when they found themselves waiting for the news that the organs they needed to survive had become available. Remarkably, the men would end up at the same hospital at the same time receiving a heart and a pair of lungs from the same donor, linking them for the rest of their lives in ways most of us couldn't understand.

In these pages you'll encounter fear, hardship, and many obstacles that were hard to surmount. But you will also encounter hope, faith, perseverance, and healing as Fred and Gordon walk the transplant tightrope with friends and family alongside them.