OMAHA, NE (KMTV/CNN) - A mother who lost her 16-year-old son in a tragic accident met the man whose life was saved by his heart, and she listened to it beat once again.
Gary Flint is in his 60s and now able to live even longer, thanks to Payton Casteel.
"I didn't think they would find a heart in time for me," Flint said Monday.
Flint said he was living his normal life when one day his doctor told him his lips were blue and he needed to stay the night at the hospital. He thought it was just because he was getting older and out of shape, but there was more to it than that.
Doctors told Flint his heart was failing him and he only had about two to three months to live.
"I didn't know I needed a heart transplant," Flint said. "I had been getting just awful tired."
Flint has a condition that causes his heart to enlarge. He said he made peace with dying and thought it was the end.
"And May 23, I was born again," he said.
Payton was hit by a van while riding his dirt bike. Days later, Flint received Payton's heart.
"He had a zest for life," said Anna Hutt, Payton's mother. "He lived life to the fullest."
Hutt said, initially, her son's decision to be a donor wasn't something she was OK with him doing. Now inspired by her son's bravery, she said she's happy a piece of him still lives on.
The hospital said Payton's organs were used to save seven people's lives.
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