Hispanic was “born” again in New York: she met a family that saved her life by giving her a heart and kidney; first case among HIV+ patients in the world
Miriam Nieves was “born” again, after receiving a double heart and kidney transplant in The Bronx (NYC).
The emotion was now completed when he was able to meet the family of the donor who gave him a second chance at life, a nursing student who died tragically. “I can’t express enough that if it wasn’t for the donors, they are my angels,” she told Fox News the 62-year-old Hispanic.
Nieves, county resident Westchester from New York, is the first HIV-positive to HIV-positive heart transplant recipient in the world. He contracted the virus at age 30 while He struggled with drug addiction.
“He had a very sweet, helpful, forgiving and protective spirit”
Family member remembers donor Brittany Newton
In 2006 a diagnosis of kidney cancer led to the need for a first transplant. While waiting for a match, the doctors discovered that his heart was deteriorating and also needed to be replaced.
So Snow entered on the waiting list for both a heart and a kidney. In April, he received a call that a match had been found in Louisiana: the 30-year-old nursing student Brittany Newton tragically passed away and that she was also HIV positive.
“He had a very sweet, helpful, forgiving and protective spirit,” said Briene Newton, Britanny’s sister. “She was truly loved by her family and to know her was to love her too.”
A qualified team of specialists from the “Montefiore-Einstein Transplant Center” in The Bronx performed the double transplant surgery for two days in April.
And now, seven months later, Nieves has met Brittany’s family, who have traveled to New York. Doctors gave the Newton family stethoscopes to listen to Brittany’s heartbeat inside Miriam’s chest.
“It came at the right time. I hate the way she came along, but she came at the right time,” Britanny’s mother Bridget Newton said. “My daughter is still walking.”
Edwin Feliciano, Nieves’ son, added that the whole family is very grateful. “My children benefit a lot from this and I have four. My brother’s children benefit from this,” Feliciano said. “We benefit from this and I hope everyone knows how grateful we are.”
“God put Brittany in my life so that I could have a second chance and meet my new family,” Nieves summarized.
