A woman who had a heart transplant has refused to get rid of her faulty ticker and is keeping it in a plastic bag at her home. Jessica Manning, 29, was diagnosed with several heart defects from birth, including having only half a heart, describing the organ as "cookie dough".
She had to have more than 200 minor and major surgeries, before eventually Jessica, from New Zealand, was given a new heart via donation at the age of 25. She donated the organ to science but 10 months later she was told it was no longer needed – so she decided to keep it, and now she plans to bury it in her garden.
What do you think about Jessica's heart in a bag? Let us know in the comments...
Jessica said: "When I purchase a house I want to bury it and plant a tree on top and dedicate it to my donor.
"As a transplant recipient, it's almost impossible to put into words how thankful we are, not just to our donor - but to the donor's family.
"Everything I do in life, I do for my donor.
"Achieving my goals and doing all the things I love is to celebrate that my donor is still living."
Her old heart is kept in preservative fluid in a plastic bag, which Jessica stores in her bedroom.
She said: "Due to the heart being preserved, I didn't need to keep it in the fridge or freezer. It also didn't sit well with me that my heart would be near my food!
"I used to keep it in my wardrobe but now I store it in a draw on my desk."
While she has a touching reason for keeping hold of it, Jessica has had mixed opinions after sharing her story on TikTok, where her videos have garnered millions of views.
In one, she shares a picture of her and her mother following the surgery, followed by a clip of her clutching her old heart to show that it has remained in her possession.
One person commented: "Why did I think it was a cookie before I read the caption?"
"You can wear it on your sleeve now," another user joked.
Someone else said: "This is so insane."
"The heart wants what it wants," quipped another viewer.
Another person said: "I would totally keep it in a jar."
"You can send it to your ex with a dramatic message," someone else suggested.
Another person wrote: "Most of us keep our hearts on our sleeves, but you're taking it to a new level."
Jessica added: "I always knew having my heart and educating about organ donation would be controversial but surprisingly 90 per cent of people love it and find it really interesting.
"There's only a small percentage of people who think it's weird or strange.
"The people with the negative comments usually come across my page randomly and don't take time to watch any of my other videos to understand why I kept it, or what I had gone through to be here today."
As well as proudly displaying her old heart, Jessica has also not let her scars hold her back.
She said: "I am a very confident person, I adore my scars and the story they tell.
"I love to wear a bikini to show them off, and if I'm not in a bikini I show them to people anyway.
"I may not pass 'society's beauty standard' but I know what I have gone through to get these scars and I'm so proud of myself which is why I love my scars more and more each day.
"I just wish every other female, and male who is struggling with body acceptance could love themselves too."
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