North Texas heart transplant recipient gets to hold his old heart

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A McKinney man with a failing heart had accepted his fate, until he held his granddaughter for the first time.

That was when Lee Walden decided he had more to live for.

He put himself on the transplant list, and six days later, he had a match.

On Wednesday, he was able to hold his old heart for the first time at Baylor University Medical Center.

Walden talked about his change of heart, and that he'd like to meet the family of the person who made this transplant possible.

"[My granddaughter is] just worth me giving it a shot," he said. "And I hope that when I can write the letter to [the family of the person who donated their heart] that I get to write, that they respond, and that I can meet them."

Walden had an enlarged heart, and he was able to see how big his heart was compared to the normal heart.

Now, he says he has more energy to keep up with his granddaughter, Madelyn.