Mother meets son’s heart and lung organ donor recipients at Peace Walk

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) Anita Franklin laces up to stop the violence.

It’s a walk she has led many times before in honor of her son 21-year-old Antonio Franklin Jr. who was shot and killed at Duncan Park.

But this time the Peace Walk beats to a different drum.

She uses a medical internal listening device and a microphone to broadcast her son’s beating heart to the crowd, now beating in another man.

She says, “Listen to that strong heartbeat.”

A police officer says, “Isn’t god good.”

In his death Antonio saved four lives. His heart now pumps life into 31-year-old Alejandro Arreola of West Virginia who’s has hereditary heart failure.

Arreola says, “Honestly I have my life you know, because of her son and the sacrifice she had to make and here I am standing before you guys and able to do this walk.”

At UK medical center with him just down the hall was James Roop of Pikeville. Roop was in the last stage of pulmonary fibrosis, now he breathes air from Antonio’s lungs.

Roop says, “My right lung was plum gone. And my left one I only had 10% breathing out of my left lung. I probably wouldn’t have made it two or three days if it hadn’t been for him. Just like I call Alejandro, my organ brother, now he really is my organ brother. And it shouldn’t never of happened.”

Alejandro first reached out to Anita last September, a long-time coming for the both of them.

Anita breaks down hugging Alejandro.

She says, “Is that as good as it gets hello? hello?”

And it’s a first meeting for James.

He says, “It’s hard to explain. It really is. It’s just truly a great blessing. It’s just like mixed feelings, emotional and exciting.”

Now they’re all walking together to turn tragedy into triumph.