A woman holds her own heart after transplant surgery, and the resulting photo is both inspiring and strange. It is also more than a little suspicious. The woman has not been fully identified, but her story is making headlines. According to a Jan. 16, 2013 report by The Telegraph, the woman, known only as Penny, allegedly wanted to keep the heart. Doctors said, "No."
Penny was reportedly suffering from cancer and organ failure. She underwent surgery to replace her diseased and failing heart with a healthy donor heart, or so the story goes. Although doctors did not allow her to keep the heart as a souvenir, they did permit her to pose for a photo while holding the organ, according to multiple reports. Penny was also allowed to keep the ashes after her heart was cremated.
The photo of the woman as she holds her own heart after surgery was originally posted to the photo-sharing site Imgur. Penny's friend Kelsey is the one who shared the photo, which is simultaneously inspiring and a bit creepy. One can only wonder whether this unique image will begin a new trend of patients taking photographs with their discarded organs.
In the photo, the woman holds her own heart in what appears to be an operating room or other medical facility. She is wearing a surgical mask, a winter coat with faux fur trim and a scarf. Her attire and the fact that she is standing up rather than being dressed in a hospital gown, hooked to various tubes and machines and reclining in a hospital bed make the photo a bit suspect. What do you think?
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