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OAK LAWN, IL — An amazing act of friendship amid deep sadness — that's what Vicki Olds did for her dear friend, Tanisha Basham.
After Vicki lost her only child, 18-year-old Domonique "Nikki" Smith, in a drowning accident, she decided to donate Nikki's heart to Tanisha.
Tanisha, a 41-year-old mother of three, has been on the heart transplant waiting list with severe congestive heart failure.
Tanisha initially declined this selfless gift. But Vicki insisted.
Tanisha underwent a successful heart transplant surgery at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn.
Vicki and Tanisha shared their emotional story at a news conference Tuesday.
"To know that this is my baby who lives inside Tanisha, it was the most overwhelming thing a parent could ever experience, but yet it was a blessing," Vicki said.
What's even more amazing is that the heart was a 100 percent match.
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