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Organ Donor Mom Steps In For Recipient's Lifesaving Drugs
4 Dec, 2025
Summary
- Donor mom offers to pay for anti-rejection drugs after insurance denied coverage.
- Recipient received son's heart 13 years ago at age 11.
- Recipient's drug costs doubled, making medication unaffordable.
Mary Cutter is making an extraordinary offer to cover the cost of life-saving anti-rejection medication for Payton Herres, the young woman who has had Christian Cutter's heart for 13 years. Christian, Cutter's only child, died in 2012 at age 24, and his organs were donated to save others.
Herres, who received Christian's heart at age 11, recently faced a drastic increase in her medication's copay after her insurance company, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, changed its coverage for the drug everolimus. This change made the crucial medication unaffordable for the 25-year-old, who earns $35,000 annually.
Despite the emotional difficulty of reliving her son's loss, Cutter is determined to ensure Herres continues to live a full life. Herres expressed gratitude for Cutter's generosity, calling it both beautiful and heartbreaking. Currently, Herres is relying on discount coupons to afford the medication, but fears their unreliability.
