Jessica Manning, 30, already had heart problems at birth. She has undergone surgery several times and had to undergo a double heart and liver transplant to save her life eight years ago. You’ve recently moved to Australia, and of course you’re taking all your valuables with you. And so is her old heart. In New Zealand it is customary to keep organs with you after a transplant, so that they can be buried with them one day.
Safe in the closet
Customs officials were surprised by the package. “The guy didn’t really know what to do with it at first, so he started talking to his boss,” Manning says on TikTok. “Then I started crying, because the man was very friendly and I understood that he was on guard. He was particularly worried that I might introduce a new disease into his country that might put the Australian population at risk. But fortunately everything was fine after an hour.” And I’m allowed to continue my journey. My old heart is still with me. It’s safe in my closet.”
