Jorge Bacardi was born in Santiago de Cuba on 6th April 1944 in a rich family. His family expanded the alcohol corporations in the US in the year he was born, it was such a great coincidence. The life of Jorge Bacardi is beautifully portrayed in the most loved drama “2 Hearts”.
This drama shows how an organ donation could give a chance to other people. In this article, we will discuss everything about him including his struggles, personal life, and the details of his death. So keep reading to know more about Jorge Bacardi!
Who was Jorge Bacardi?
Source: gabrielhouseofcare.org
Being a part of a rich family, Jorge Bacardi should be envied and considered lucky but unfortunately, he was not. He was diagnosed with lung disease when he was a child and it was such heartbreaking news for the whole family.
He was born to Caridad and Joaquin Bacardi and had two brothers and one sister named Jose Alberto and Jorge Enrique, and Carmen. For over 150 years, the Bacardi family was running this business of making rum and he was also a board of directors of the company.
He married Leslie who give him unconditional love and respect throughout the hard times of his life, when he died his wife was 46 years old. However, there is no such information about Jorge Bacardi children.
The severe lung disease of Jorge Bacardi made him go through many surgeries in his life, and in 2008, he was able to take a deep breath after going through a double-lung transplant from Mayo Clinic’s Florida campus.
The transplant took 7 hours and after that 24 hours of post-surgery were very crucial, however, after the transplant, Jorge was able to breathe as he has never breathed in his entire life so, after his discharge from the hospital, he decided to do something big for his donor.
The reason behind Jorge Bacardi’s death:
Jorge Bacardi death was not certain, he had a severe lung disease since his childhood. Even though doctors were sure that he hardly will live for 11 to 12 years, he made it and got a chance to live his life. However, he had to go through many surgeries in his entire life.
The lung disease he was diagnosed with as a child was primary ciliary dyskinesia. In this condition, cilia behave abnormally and force mucus to cause infections and blockage instead of moving it out through airways, there is no cure available for this disease.
In this situation, a double-lung transplant could help, but this is not easy. At the age of 60, he got it done but he nearly managed to escape the death. After living for 12 more years he died his natural death in his residence.
Who donated the organ to Jorge Bacardi?
Christopher Gregory gave his organs to a number of people, including Jorge Bacardi. He came to the hospital because he had a brain aneurysm and doctors predicted that it is hard for him to live so he died in 2008 in New Orleans. Christopher was only 19 years old when he passed away.
After his death, the doctors came to know that he has registered himself as an organ donor so that’s how his organs were donated. Luckily, Jorge Bacardi was given his lungs who lost his life at such a young age but gave life to several other people.
How did Jorge Bacardi repay his donor?
After the surgery, he did not know the name of his donor so he referred to him as Gabriel. In order to honor his donor, Jorge and his wife donated $13.5 million to open the Gabriel House of Care at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville.
He also visited Christopher’s family when learned about the details of his donor. Today, when Jorge and Christopher both are not among us, the Gabriel House of Care is providing affordable transplants and helping other cancer patients.
Jorge and his wife Leslie also started donating in 2014 to fund Regenerative Medicine. The gift was in honor of Doctor Cesar A. Keller, M.D who took care of Jorge before having the transplantation.
When did Jorge Bacardi Die?
After having a double-lung transplant, Jorge got to live 12 more years but in 2020, he died on 23rd September at the age of 76. He was at his Lyford Cay house in the Bahamas at the time he passed away.
The Gabriel house continues to provide facilities to the people even after Jorge Bacardi Death, it also provides a comfortable place to live while patients are going through long treatments including cancer patients. All thanks to Jorge Bacardi and Christopher Gregory.
He left behind his 46 years old wife, her sister, and 17 nieces and nephews and he was such a great and funny person among them. At 10 a.m., he was laid to rest in Saint Paul’s Catholic Church on Western Road.
Relationship of Jorge with Christopher’s parents:
He used to visit Christopher’s family often and spent time with his parents Eric and Grace Gregory and his siblings. He used to send pictures of his activities to the family as an appreciation of the act of their son because Jorge is only able to do these things due to their son.
What is 2 Hearts drama about?
This drama is based on the true-life story of Jorge Bacardi and how he managed to survive throughout his whole life and then after a double-lung transplant, he was able to breathe like never before. All thanks to the young 19 years old Christopher Gregory who donated his organs to the people and saved their lives.
Conclusion:
We gathered all information about Jorge Bacardi including Jorge Bacardi Death and Jorge Bacardi children, and how he survived the difficult days of his life. We hope that after reading this article and what Jorge did for his donor’s family, your belief in humanity is strengthened.
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