"We thought we were going to wait a long time because we had to find a Caucasian female in her mid 40s to match Connie, so we expected a year before we were able to find a donor, " said Papay, who is also head of craniofacial surgery.

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So day after day and month after month, Connie stayed by his bedside.

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"The race is just so nasty you cannot tell what anybody really thinks, " said Connie Sullivan, a clerk in a Lexington deli.

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Ms. SASSAMAN: So, I just really want to say, so a few people who are on this call like Rick and Connie, you guys, because you were working all day.

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