Heart to Heart

April 14, 2017 3:12 PM

“I picked him up from school and the first thing he said when he got in the car was, ‘Mom, I met Rod Carew today!” Mary recalled. That was the first time Konrad gave his heart to Rod Carew.

Konrad & Carew: How an NFL player’s donated heart saved (the) life of a baseball Hall of Famer
posted by The Gooch (13 comments total)

Thanks, that was sweet without being saccharine. Now excuse me, I think I have some dust in my eye.
posted by mosk at 3:25 PM on April 14, 2017 [2 favorites]

Wait, hall of famer Rod Carew? I hear he's Jewish. He converted.
posted by bologna on wry at 3:54 PM on April 14, 2017 [2 favorites]

Not Jewish. USAToday link, w/story.
posted by mosk at 3:58 PM on April 14, 2017 [1 favorite]

It's dusty in here too.
posted by arcticseal at 4:35 PM on April 14, 2017

>I started crying reading the pull quote.
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 5:08 PM on April 14, 2017

Bittersweet story. Damn this dust.
posted by annieb at 5:51 PM on April 14, 2017

Rod Carew was an incredible baseball player to watch bat. I modeled my batting on him when I was a kid. I'm glad to hear he is still around.
posted by srboisvert at 6:03 PM on April 14, 2017

Mary Reuland listens for the first time to the heart of her son Konrad Reuland as it beats in the chest of baseball Hall of Famer Rod Carew, Thursday, March 2, 2107

That's quite some heart.
posted by Horace Rumpole at 6:59 PM on April 14, 2017

.

For Konrad.
💅💖💞🌲
Also for Konrad.
And
💟🏈💗⚾
For Rod
And
🌹
For their amazing families.
posted by LeftMyHeartInSanFrancisco at 9:58 PM on April 14, 2017

What an amazing story. Thanks for posting this.
posted by Ber at 8:48 AM on April 15, 2017

Must be allergy season already, damn tears.
posted by Malingering Hector at 10:26 AM on April 15, 2017

I hate sports and glurge, but this turned out to be neither and now I'm all choked up.
posted by tully_monster at 12:32 PM on April 15, 2017

Can I just say...I don't get this attitude:

Just last April, Konrad Reuland was sitting in the kitchen filling out his driver’s license renewal form. He casually asked his mom if he should be an organ donor.

“That’s a totally personal decision, sweetie,” Mary told him. “You have to do what feels right.”

If someone asked me this question, my answer would be "Of course, unless you have some belief, like a religious belief, that prohibits it. But, really, you should. You or I could even need an organ one day." Why does the decision need to be personal? Why would she believe that it is something intrinsically "felt", instead of a decision that should be informed by facts?
posted by R a c h e l at 9:20 AM on April 17, 2017