Woman's tragic death witnessed by family on laptop

A nurse in a Michigan hospital kissed the patient's
forehead. More than 6,000 miles away, Sanaz
Nezami's family in Iran watched on a laptop
computer and wept. Nezami, a vibrant 27-year-old woman who could
speak three languages, wanted to pursue an
advanced degree in engineering at Michigan
Technological University. Instead, she was brain
dead just a few weeks after unpacking her bags, the
victim of a fatal beating by her new husband, according to police. Technology allowed family in Iran to watch her final
hours. The family's faith in the hospital staff led to
consent for an extraordinary donation: Nezami's
heart, lungs and other life-saving organs were
transplanted to seven people in the U.S., a
remarkable gift that occurs in less than 1 percent of all cases. "We wanted God to perform a miracle and bring
Sanaz back to life," her sister, Sara Nezami, said in
a phone interview from Tehran. "But this is a
miracle. Sanaz gave her life in order to give life." A nurse who took care of Sanaz Nezami said the
experience was "eye-opening" for hospital staff. "The family was willing to trust us to know she
wasn't coming back," Kim Grutt said. In August, Nezami married Nima Nassiri in Turkey
and lived with him temporarily in the Los Angeles
area, where he was born and raised. Her sister said
the two met over the Internet. Nezami, a native of Tehran, had a bachelor's degree
in engineering and a master's in French translation.
She wanted a doctorate degree in environmental
engineering. The newlyweds drove from California and found a
rental home in November in Michigan. Nezami
stayed in touch with family through e-mail, text
message and video. On Dec. 7, she asked her sister to proofread some
English-to-Persian translation she was doing on the
side. "I was shocked," Sara Nezami said. "Sanaz was a
very precise girl, but she omitted some lines. I
asked, 'Are you OK?' She told me there was no
problem." The next day Sanaz Nezami was rushed to a
hospital with severe head injuries and was
transferred to Marquette General Hospital. Police
believe she was assaulted by her husband, who has
been charged with second-degree murder. His
attorney, David Gemignani, declined to comment. "Her brain was so swollen and so damaged, there
was no longer any blood flow," explained Gail
Brandly, who supervises nurses at the hospital. No one knew anything about Nezami, so Brandly ran
her name through Google. Suddenly, the stranger
who couldn't speak for herself came alive through a
resume posted online. Nezami was fluent in French, English and Persian.
She volunteered to cook for charities. As a teen,
she wrote for youth newspapers and magazines and
won first place in a 2001 literature competition with
an essay on "friendships and the differences
between us." After about 24 hours, the hospital reached relatives
in Iran. Immediate travel to the U.S. was impractical
due to visa requirements, so a laptop was set up so
the family could see Nezami on life support and talk
to nurses and doctors over Yahoo Messenger. "It isn't something we've done in the past. It's not
every day we're dealing with family members so far-
flung," said Dave Edwards, spokesman for the
hospital. At one point, Grutt was asked to stroke Nezami's
head and kiss her forehead. "They wanted us to do things for Sanaz that they
would have done," Grutt said. "They said, 'Let her
know we love her. We're here.' I felt completely
comfortable." Nezami died on Dec. 9, but her critical organs —
heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, pancreas and small
intestine — could be used by others. With the
family's consent, they were removed and
transplanted to seven people. No other details were
released. "The family was very clear. They want Americans to
know Sanaz loved America," said Wendy Mardak of
UW-Organ and Tissue Donation, a regional organ
donation agency. Nezami was buried Dec. 18 in a local cemetery. As
a light snow fell, the hospital's chaplain, the Rev.
Leon Jarvis, read Muslim prayers over the casket
while about 20 people, mostly nurses and others
who cared for her, watched. Jarvis, an Episcopal priest, said he pledged to
Nezami's father that "as long as I draw breath and
live in this city, your daughter will never be alone." "I've never seen anyone so quickly adopted by so
many," Jarvis said. "Considering our season right
now, this was an incredible gift by Sanaz, but also a
gift from the community as well. It's realizing the
goodness of humanity and what people can do in a
real cynical time."