The man who received a life-saving heart transplant would later die in the same way as his donor, years after marrying the donor’s widow.
In April 2008, Sonny Graham, a 69-year-old retired telecommunications manager, walked out of his home in the US state of Georgia and died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. His death closely mirrored that of Terry Cottle, a 33-year-old man who died by suicide in March 1995.
Four days before he died, Cottle was rushed to the hospital with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
The incident followed an argument with his wife Cheryl, during which the couple decided they would separate.
Who was Terry Cottle?
According to Snopes, Terry Cottle met his future wife Cheryl Sweat in 1988. Cheryl was the daughter of his boss and several years younger than Terry, and both were married to other people at the time.
Terry and Cheryl eventually left their respective partners and married in May 1989. They went on to have a daughter together, and Terry also adopted Cheryl’s two sons from a previous relationship.
The marriage later became strained. Terry continued to stay in contact with his ex-wife without Cheryl’s knowledge, and in March 1995 the couple agreed they would separate for good.
Terry was taken to a hospital in Georgia but was taken off life support four days later. His organs were donated, and his heart was transplanted into a 57-year-old man named Sonny Graham.
Who was Sonny Graham – and how did he meet Cheryl Cottle?
In Hilton Head, South Carolina, Sonny Graham was suffering from severe congestive heart failure after an infection damaged his heart muscle. He was on the transplant waiting list when he received the call that a near match had become available.
Sonny received Terry’s heart in a transplant that ultimately saved his life.
After recovering, Sonny appeared to return to his old routine. However, friends and family noticed small changes in his behavior. He even declined counseling after the transplant, reportedly telling his friend Bill Carson, via CBS: “I’m sorry the other guy died. But this is my heart now.”
In late 1996, he wrote to Cheryl to thank her for the heart, and by early 1997 he and his wife arranged to meet her in person.
At the time, Sonny was 59 and Cheryl was 30. Sonny later said he fell in love with her during their first meeting.
“I felt like I had known her for years,” he later told The Hilton Head Island Packet in 2006.
At first, the marriage appeared happy. On their two-year anniversary, the couple spoke with The Hilton Head Island Packet, where Cheryl said: “It’s true what it says in the Bible, If you live God’s will and give with a happy heart, you will reap the rewards.”
Just two years later, Sonny fatally shot himself, dying in the same way Terry had years earlier.
Despite those questions, police in Georgia ruled Sonny’s death a suicide in September 2009.
