The tragic death of a young woman earlier this month has brought life to seven others around the country - some of whom are children - after the woman's family in Iran gave permission to Marquette General Hospital to donate her organs
Nezami was considered a rare "ideal donor" and five surgical teams from four states converged on Marquette General where, incredibly, they were able to successfully recover her heart, lungs, liver, pancreas, kidneys and intestines for donation. Because of her small stature, some of her organs have gone to save the lives of children - including her heart, which was transplanted in a 12-year-old girl
Sanaz (pronounced SAH-nah) had only in recent weeks moved from Tehran, Iran to Dollar Bay in Houghton County with Nassiri to begin a doctorate program in Environmental Engineering at Michigan Tech University next semester. After the alleged assault, Sanaz was taken to Portage Health Hospital in Hancock for her injuries. From there, she was transported to Marquette General early on Dec. 9, where extensive testing established that she had suffered massive head trauma which left her with virtually no brain activity.
Sanaz also did a lot of charity work for the mentally challenged, the sick and the homeless. Though she was a Muslim, she also was part of a Christian congregation and believed that most of the differences between Christians and Muslims were superficial.
The U.S. no longer has an embassy in Iran so police were attempting to coordinate with diplomats at the Pakistani embassy in Tehran to locate Sanaz's family and give them the news in person. The doctors and nurses at Marquette General realized that this could take days, if not longer.What happened next can be only a testament to the power of the Internet, and to the compassion of the registered nurses in Marquette General's ICU: Brandly googled Sanaz, discovered her resume - which listed a phone number - and she and the RNs in the ICU decided to try to contact Sanaz's family that way
