Heart transplant recipient honoring organ donor by naming his newborn after them

CHANDLER, Ariz. (KPHO/Gray News) - It’s an extra special holiday season for two families now forever connected through an organ donation.

This Thanksgiving, 26-year-old Harley Duffer has a lot to be thankful for, including his new extended family.

Harley Duffer, his 2-year-old daughter Libi, and wife Justine Duffer keep in touch with Lesley Nurse often.

Nurse is the mother of Harley Duffer’s heart and kidney donor.

“I don’t have the words to explain the connection that we have,” Harley Duffer said.

Harley Duffer lives with a rare heart disease called arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia.

“They told me in 2009 I was one of seven people in the world to live long enough to receive a heart transplant,” he said.

His first heart transplant was at age 12. His second was at age 24, but his body rejected the organ. He was later put into a medically induced coma before he had a third transplant at age 25.

The most recent surgery was at the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix in August 2022.

“I feel healthier. I feel better. I feel stronger,” he said.

And in September of this year, he got the chance to meet his latest donor’s family.

“It’s very meaningful to me,” Harley Duffer said.

Lesley Nurse’s son Peyton Nurse died in a car crash at the age of 21 in California, but part of him now lives on in Harley Duffer.

“If it wasn’t for Peyton being selfless and making the brave decision to be an organ donor I wouldn’t be here today,” Harley Duffer said.

The Duffer family said they are also expecting a baby girl next month and naming her Peyton in honor of Harley Duffer’s donor.

“It was meant to be, it really was,” Harley Duffer said.

He said as it turns out, he has a lot in common with Peyton Nurse.

“We have the same hobbies, the same favorite colors, the same vacation spots, the same bird. His favorite bird is a crow. I’ve got a crow’s wing on my arm too,” Harley Duffer said referring to one of his tattoos.

Harley Duffer said his story hopes to inspire others to give the gift of life through organ donation.

“Everyday period is a blessing, just be able to wake up in the morning, and I have to thank Peyton for that,” he said.

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