The scientific community has yet to agree on whether memories can be transferred. However, numerous real-life cases have shown that memories or personalities can be successfully transferred to others.
According to a report by the Daily Mail on December 26, 2009, an Australian named David Waters developed an intense craving for junk food after receiving a heart transplant from a teenager who loved greasy foods. This is another example of transplant recipients exhibiting characteristics of their donors.
Before receiving the heart of 18-year-old Cotton Delaney, who was brain-dead after a car accident, Waters did not enjoy eating fast food like burgers and fried potato chips. However, after the heart transplant, he suddenly found himself craving these greasy foods.
This case from Australia strongly supports the theory that the brain is not the only organ in the human body capable of storing memories or personal traits. Scientists have noted that records show 70 percent of transplant patients experience changes in personality traits post-surgery, beginning to exhibit characteristics of their donors. Here are some examples:
In the United States, Sonny Graham received the heart of Terry Cato, who had ended his life by shooting himself in the head. After the transplant in 1995, Graham met Cato’s widow, Cheryl, and the two fell in love and married. Twelve years later, Graham shot himself in the throat, making Cheryl a widow once again.
In another case, an 8-year-old girl began having nightmares after receiving the heart of a 10-year-old boy who had been murdered. She dreamed of a man murdering her donor. At the time of the transplant, the murderer had not been caught, but based on the girl’s recollections of her dreams, the police were able to identify the perpetrator and bring him to justice accurately.
Organ transplant researchers state that this phenomenon, known as “cellular memory,” is not limited to heart transplant recipients. Those who receive other organs may also exhibit traits of their donors.
Donor’s will influences organ function
For organ transplant surgeries, every second counts to increase the success rate. Voluntary organ donation represents a great act of love. Still, if the donation goes against the donor’s wishes, the recipient may not be able to sustain life even after the transplant. Taiwanese media have reported related supernatural incidents.
Dr. Wei Zheng, a renowned cardiologist in Taiwan, does not believe in supernatural forces. However, after experiencing some inexplicable events during his many years of practice, he had to acknowledge the relationship between the body and the soul. He once told the media: “The human soul always exists.”
Dr. Wei’s organ transplant team, upon learning of a brain-dead patient donating a compatible heart, would immediately prepare for surgery and retrieval, racing against time to seize the golden window. There was an instance where a doctor went to another hospital to retrieve a heart, immediately infused it with preservation solution, and placed it in a special ice bucket.
On the way back to the hospital in Taipei, the ice bucket inexplicably became heavier and almost impossible to lift. Dr. Wei later learned from the family that the organ donor had been murdered and that his family had decided to donate his organs on his behalf, possibly against his wishes. This strange occurrence was seen as a way for the donor to communicate his will.
In heart transplant surgeries conducted by Dr. Wei, there were exceptional cases where, despite successful surgery and complete post-operative care, the transplanted heart would not beat in the recipient’s body, relying instead on an external circulatory device to sustain life.
In one such case, the recipient’s family sought divine intervention and learned that the brain-dead patient had not wished to donate his organs. Following guidance, the recipient’s family went to the donor’s memorial, explained their intentions, and kowtowed a thousand times. Only then did the heart start beating again in the recipient’s body.
After these experiences, Dr. Wei believes that even if the body housing the soul is damaged, the soul will still linger around. Although Taiwanese law allows the closest family members to decide on organ donation for brain-dead patients who cannot express their own will, the donor’s wishes should still be respected if they were not clearly expressed during their lifetime.
Follow us on X, Facebook, or Pinterest
