Five years ago "Tom," a minister, required a heart transplant. I suppose a lot of people had trouble understanding how such a bad thing could happen to a "man of the Cloth."
Last June (2009) a friend, "Jay" took seriously, life-threateningly, ill. I guess he's been ill for as long as I've known him, but being the way I am, I didn't want to think about that. "You can't give up," I would advise. The remainder of the year was a challenge for "Jay" and his wife. They learned that he will require a heart transplant to live. When they told me of this, I immediately contacted "Tom" in West Virginia, and asked him to talk to "Jay" in North Carolina. He did.
"The worst thing about a heart transplant," said "Tom," "is what you're going through right now."
The world got a little smaller when "Jay" learned that his sister's neighbor had a heart transplant 10 years ago and is still going strong. He is encouraged.
I remember when the first artificial heart surgery was done in South Africa, wasn't it? Then there was the first human to human heart transplant. Dr. Christiaan Barnard (Nov. 8, 1922-Sept. 2, 2001) performed the first kidney transplant in South Africa in October 1967 and the first successful human to human heart transplant Dec. 3, 1967. Dorothy Fisher was the first black recipient, and lived for 12-1/2 years after her transplant in 1969. Dirk van Zyl lived 23 more years following his heart transplant in 1971. Barnard's brother, Marius, was his "right hand man in cardiac surgery." The source I referred to advises that he did not die of a heart attack, but of a severe asthma attack.
That technology continues to improve, I believe there are plenty of reasons for "Jay" to be encouraged to have the heart transplant and live a long life, dancing at his youngest granddaughter's wedding when she grows up.
(c) 2010 Cathy Thomas Brownfield
All rights reserved -- Contact author for permission to use.
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