2 Men Shared Heart, Wife, Manner of Death

WTOC Savannah GA ^ | April 7, 2008 | Staff

[Amelia]

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, SC (AP) - Terry Cottle and Sonny Graham never met, but the two men shared two very important things - a heart and a wife.

They also died the same way: Cottle, 12 years ago from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the Summerville home he shared with his wife, Cheryl; the 69-year-old Graham died the same way last week outside his Vidalia, Georgia, home that he shared with his wife, Cheryl.

When Cottle died at age 33, his organs were donated. Graham got Cottle's heart and nine years later, he married Cottle's widow.

(More at source...)

[Amelia]

Pretty weird.

[CWW]

I see a Lifetime movie coming!

[ravingnutter]

Wow...she must have been hell to live with.

[catbertz]

Sad story, but begging for one liners.

[nmh]

Is that the end of that heart?

[massgopguy]

Third time’s a charm?

[trumandogz]

I am guess that no one will want that heart or the lady for a wife.

[Amelia]

Wow...she must have been hell to live with.

I wondered about that.

I've also heard that transplant recipients sometimes develop interests of the donor, or begin liking foods, etc., that they never did before...I wonder if a tendency toward suicide could also be transferred?

[Amelia]

Is that the end of that heart?

I think they found this 2nd guy already dead, so I don't know if the heart was transplantable by the time they got him to the hospital.

[CougarGA7]

I just checked my organ donor card and it says nothing about the wife comes with the heart.

[A.A. Cunningham]

Heart transplant recipient Sonny Graham, left, and his wife, Cheryl, pray during a moment of silence in this Dec. 1, 2006 file photo.

[tflabo]

Confucius, say, “better to receive man’s heart than man’s wife”.

[nmh]

I’d hate to know what a heart transplant costs.

[Toddsterpatriot]

I think they found this 2nd guy already dead, so I don't know if the heart was transplantable by the time they got him to the hospital.

I think having a transplanted organ makes you too risky to donate your organs.

[knarf]

Cheryl looks ... um .... hot.

[tflabo]

Old Geezer got a newer heart and a younger wife in the deal...then off’s himself? Oh well....

[SendShaqtoIraq]

the transplant itself is actually fairly cheap. it is all the treatment/meds that follow that run the bill up

[SendShaqtoIraq]

I’m wondering if the shots were really SELF-inflicted

[Toddsterpatriot]

No kidding.

[spectre]

Self inflicted? Both of her husbands? What are the odds?

sw

[Mr. Lucky]

When two spouses have the same causa mortis, the wise coroner gets curious.

[spectre]

LOL..great post.

[SIDENET]

???

[CholeraJoe]

This is pretty much the plot of the movie “21 Grams.”

[weps4ret]

Calling Jerry Springer!

Gunner

[freedomlover]

I see a Lifetime movie coming!

---

Already been done, actually, and one of my favs at that, 21 Grams by Iñárritu -

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0315733/

[latina4dubya]

That heart was from Terry Cottle, who had been put on life support after shooting himself so his organs could be donated, Berkeley County Coroner Glenn Rhoad said.

he shot himself so his organs could be donated?

[exit82]

Husband no. 2 bought her a home for her and her four children. Widow was 28 in 1997 at time of her second marriage.

OK, we have a 39 year old two time widow, with both husbands having the same heart and buying the farm the same exact way.

Why do I see a female praying( or preying?) mantis in this story?

I’m not buying the innocent widow story yet.......

[freedomlover]

She does look sorta Not Guilty.

[Rebelbase]

“Husband no. 2 bought her a home for her and her four children. Widow was 28 in 1997 at time of her second marriage”

Looks like husband 2.0 was an upgrade with the same old kernel.

[Amelia]

According to scientists, there are more than 70 documented cases of transplant patients taking on some of the personality traits of the organ donors.

Who knows?

[freedomlover]

Better pic to evalaute guilt. Looks like his granddaughter!

[burroak]

It reminds me of the old joke:

Why do husbands die before their wives?
V

V

V

Because the WANT to!

[Yo-Yo]

Maybe she's a "Black Widow" and the gunshot wounds weren't so self-inflicted.

I'm just sayin'.

[CJ Wolf]

more like a new Edgar Allan Poe poem.

[dawn53]

I was getting ready to post the same thing. Makes one wonder if anyone edits these articles.

[Radix]

The donor and recipient should have had a heart to heart talk before the procedure.

[Clock King]

I think I saw this in a horror film or Twilight Zone episode.

[ASA Vet]

I can’t say a word.

[OldEagle]

The OldEagle seldom recognizes coincidence. That leaves the widow.

[Balding_Eagle]

I think she’s offering up a prayer “Please, God, make him a good aim”.

[evad]

The OldEagle seldom recognizes coincidence. That leaves the widow.

Neither did Sherlock Holmes. You're in good company.

I smell a very large rat!

[tbw2]

What on Earth is going on that she loses TWO guys to suicide?

[Amelia]

Either he inherited the propensity with the heart, or she's kin to the coroner in Vidalia?

Truthfully, I have no idea if she is or not...or if it's just a sad coincidence.

[brooklin]

Are they praying at a Holiday Inn?

[NathanR]

Looks like a hospital waiting room to me.

[A.A. Cunningham]

Looks like she’s a redhead which should have been sign number one to run like hell in the other direction.

[DeLaine]

I'm trying not to be morbid but I can't help myself! Knarf...she's available /cringing

[knarf]

That was bad, DeLaine ... real bad ... /8^)

[DeLaine]

I cringed when I wrote it, does that help?????