Ep 14: Would You Befriend Someone You Knew You’d Lose Too Soon? A Heart Transplant Story | Kristy Brown

When Kristy met Anne, she knew her new friend had a failing heart. She would most likely die without a heart transplant. Not a lot of people would rush into a friendship with someone who might not be around long, but those would be people who didn't know Anne. Kristy says she was almost impossible not to be her friend.Which only made it harder as Anne grew sicker. She desperately needed a heart and almost didn't qualify for the transplant list because she didn't have family living nearby to support her recovery.But she had her friends.This is a story about the family we choose, the lengths we'll go to keep someone we love here, and what it means to be a good friend when you know you can't keep them forever.Plus: Anne was a passionate advocate for organ donation. Stay through the end for a simple way you can potentially help save someone else's Anne.Connect with Go Red for Women on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/goredforwomen?stkn=MXYxOTV0ZHpvcWE4cA==), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/GoRedWomen/) & Their Website (https://www.goredforwomen.org/en/)Connect with The American Heart Association on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/american_heart/?hl=en), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/AmericanHeart/) & Their Website (https://www.heart.org/)To learn more, visit The Best Friend Project.co. While you're there, discover your Friendship Archetype by taking the Friendship Survey (https://thebestfriendproject.co/signup). We'd also love to stay in touch—come say hello on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/thebest_friendproject/) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/TheBestFriendProject)(we will follow you back!) If you need to reach us, you can always email us at [email protected] this episode:- The friend who pulled everyone into her universe- When friends became family- What happens when friendship becomes caregiving?- “She was just my person.”- The decision Kristy was “never more proud of her” for making- Living—and dying—on her own terms- One last home-renovation decision- One final, perfectly Anne sendoff- What Anne taught Kristy about being a friendChapters:00:00 — Cold Open1:13 — Would You Let Yourself Love Someone You Know You Could Lose?04:17 — A Jigsaw, Jackie O Sunglasses & an Ordinary Monday Night10:24 — “I Have a Family. They Just Aren’t Related to Me.”16:21 — “She Was Just My Person”21:16 — When Caregiving Starts to Bury the Friendship32:31 — “That’s It. I’m Done.”37:29 — “Let’s Do What You Want”42:54 — “I Don’t Like Your Countertops”44:43 — All Her People Were There46:47 — “The Greatest Honor of My Life Was to Walk Her Home”58:30 — OutroComing Next Week:Brenda and Kimberly met nearly 40 years ago because Brenda was going to fight Kimberly. What came out of that moment was one of the most fascinating friendships I’ve ever encountered—a story involving a knife, the police, and four decades of friendship. You’ll have to hear this one for yourself.Support the show