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Erica Raspante, of Oriskany Falls, NY, got the life-saving news that a heart was donated on her behalf on Sunday, April 30, according to a GoFundMe campaign. The organ came from another family's loved one, and their generosity left Raspante speechless.
"I have no words. Not sure I ever will," she said in a Facebook post. "I am alive because someone chose to donate. I’m alive because God chose this path for me. I have a future."
Raspante's condition, known as dilated cardiomyopathy, is "a condition in which the heart muscle becomes weakened and enlarged," according to the National Library of Medicine.
The same condition claimed her father's life while her brother also received a heart transplant in Boston three years ago, 7News reports. Massachusetts General Hospital officials also told the outlet that Raspante's operation was the 750th heart transplant at the facility.
"There will never be enough words to thank my family and friends that have made trips out to see me, sent food, gift cards, looked out for my Mom, donated to my GoFundMe page and the PRAYERS," Raspante continued. "The love I feel is priceless. To know the kindness in the world still exists. God has changed my life forever. I cannot wait to travel this new path."
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