WINFREY: Well, Julius and Nicky Csonka are a father and son
who've both given life to one another.
Isn't that--it's an extraordinary experience.
It was an award-winning story for our Seattle affiliate,
KING-TV, who followed them through their ordeal.
Just take a brief look.
WINFREY: At 42, Julius Csonka had a full life ahead of him and
was looking forward to raising his five young children.
Mr. JULIUS CSONKA: Give me a hug.
WINFREY: But that dream was shattered in 1991,
when doctors told him he had a rare form of
leukemia and that without a bone marrow
transplant he probably wouldn't live
until the end of the year.
Mr. CSONKA: You know, honestly, I'd been given
a death sentence, and I don't
know if I'm going to come through this thing.
WINFREY: But then came a ray of hope.
His five-year-old son Nicky was a perfect match
as a bone marrow donor.
Mr. CSONKA: We were just thrilled.
It's just--we couldn't believe it.
It was a miracle.
WINFREY: Julius and his wife Debi talked to little
Nicky to be sure he was willing to
undergo the painful procedure.
Nicky told them he would do
anything it took to help his dad.
NICHOLAS: I'm going to give my dad some
bone marrow transplant and make him live.
Unidentified Nurse: This is to make you go to sleep.
Unidentified Doctor: His head's going to get real
groggy here in a sec.
Give him a hug in the usual fashion.
Mrs. DEBI CSONKA: Yeah.
There you go.
I think this is--this is the miracle
we've been waiting for, you know.
Nurse: It started.
Mr. CSONKA: Oh, thank you.
Nicky, I got your bone marrow.
Let me touch your hand.
Are you OK? I'm proud of you.
CSONKA: I'm proud of you, too, Dad.
WINFREY: Well, seven years later, both Julius
and Nicholas are doing well, except Julius
claims his taste buds have also changed. How?
Mr. CSONKA: Oh, quite a bit. Sorry.
I--it's kind of touching to me still.
WINFREY: Oh, we're all very touched by the whole thing.
Don't start us. I'm trying to get
through one day without crying.
Yes.
Mr. CSONKA: It's tough.
WINFREY: Yeah.
Mr. CSONKA: Every time I see that.
WINFREY: Yeah.
Mr. CSONKA: Anyway, I--before, if you could have
given me a chocolate candy bar, I could
have sat it down in front of me for a week
and it could s--it would sit there.
WINFREY: Mm-hmm.
Mr. CSONKA: Now I crave it and--I don't know.
I like it an awful lot.
And I find myself doing dumb things.
Just this last summer,
we were--if you ever saw the movie "Jack"...
WINFREY: Mm-hmm.
Mr. CSONKA: ...you know, I was out there
popping wheelies with the kids.
And the neighborhood kids asked,
`Who's that kid over there with you?'
And he says, `That's my dad,' you know.
So--so things have changed.
WINFREY: So you think you have
become more childlike in spirit?
CSONKA: Yeah, I think.
Mr. CSONKA: Well, he says yeah.
I think so, in--in some way.
I became a lot more sensitive to things and life.
WINFREY: Mm-hmm. And life.
CSONKA: Yeah.
WINFREY: Nicholas, that was a very brave thing you did.
I--was it very painful?
Do you remember how painful it was?
CSONKA: It was painful, but not as painful
as if I would have lost my dad.
WINFREY: Wow. So were you very proud of yourself?
CSONKA: Well, yeah, I was proud, but I think
anybody could do it.
And I'm just upset that peop--people are
dying because other people are afraid of a little pain.
WINFREY: Huh. Now I'm going to cry.
Did you hear what the child said?
He's upset because people are dying because
other people are afraid of a little pain.
Oh, my God. Well, Dr. Susan Brozena is a cardiologist
who works with transplant
patients at Allegheny University in Philadelphia,
and Susan says that there is a
sound medical explanation for all of these experiences,
including a change of heart, and it is?
Dr. SUSAN BROZENA: Yes, Oprah.
I think there's no question
that having a transplant,
particularly a heart transplant,
is a very emotional experience
for patients to go through,
and so much so that most transplant centers,
ours included, have psychologists and social workers
on the team to help patients
deal with this situation.
The problem after transplant is, the
patient has to deal with the symbolic,
as you said, loss of their own organ
and the symbolic attainment
of someone else's heart, which we humans
put a lot of symbolism into, let's face it.
WINFREY: Mm-hmm.
Dr. BROZENA: Love and desires and emotions and those...
WINFREY: Hallmark, honey.
Dr. BROZENA: All of it. Everything.
WINFREY: Yeah.
Dr. BROZENA: Hallmark. So I think a lot of it is an
emotional reaction and a lot of it can
be attributed to medications.
There's people who have had the s--
similar medications who have similar emotional
experiences without having a transplant,
particularly high doses of steroids, etc.
So I think that there's some explanations
for many of these symptoms, if you
want to call them that, or experiences...
WINFREY: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Dr. BROZENA: ...that can be attributed
to some medical reasons as well.
WINFREY: Well, thank you very much.
Well, I will say this--that once
you are given bone marrow or are given a new
heart and lungs, it certainly changes
your life about your perspective about what
you are or are not grateful for.