Heart recipient Frank Bodino will be forever grateful for the parents who agreed to donate their daughter?s organs after a terrible accident almost eight years ago.

Mr. Bodino received his heart from a 16-year-old schoolgirl who died tragically in the accident on August 10, 1996.

The father of three said: ?Everyday I wake up I am so grateful. I think about that little girl every day. I couldn?t even imagine losing a child.

?Because of her family I saw my daughter get married last November.?

Mr. Bodino?s story made headlines in the US when his insurance company refused to pay for his heart transplant. His story became the inspiration behind the movie ?John Q?, which starred Denzel Washington.

Mr. Bodino and two other members of Transplant Speakers International (TSI) are on the Island as Organ and Tissue Donor Week begins.

He is in Bermuda to give a series of talks to help raise awareness about organ and tissue donation. Mr. Bodino suffered six heart attacks in four years and spent eight months on a heart pump before he received his life-saving transplant.

Mr. Bodino said many recipients feel guilty after they receive organs.

?It took me over four hours to write a thank you letter to her family,? he said.

?How do you say thank you, when they have lost a loved one?

?Just about every recipient has a feeling of guilt after a transplant. It diminishes slightly, but it doesn?t go away.

?Every year when I celebrate the anniversary of my new heart, I also mark the anniversary of her death.?

Mr. Bodino said he contacted the girl?s family through the donor bank to express his gratitude, but they never responded.

?It is not the easiest thing for the family to do, but if they change their minds, I am always here and would be happy to meet with them,? he said.

He said after the transplant his habits and priorities changed. ?I sold X-ray equipment to doctors and hospitals and I also ran a mobile mammography service,? he said.

?I was always on the go and I didn?t eat properly. I also smoked and drank, but I can?t drink now because of the medication I take.

?Before I was hit with the first heart attack, I felt fine, I didn?t even see my doctor.?

Mr. Bodino, who is one of the founding members of TSI, said the members fly anywhere to talk to families of donors, healthcare workers and volunteers about how to make speeches about the importance of organ and tissue donation.

Mr. Bodino said his battle with the insurance company ended when it finally settled his claim eight months after the transplant.