Heart Transplant Part 3: Meeting my first patients

Go here to see part one and two of the heart transplant series.

For many people, being sick is a private thing. Visitors that just “drop by” can be dismissed by the patients in short order.

I saw this during my training with non-transplant patients. What seems to unlock that door of privacy was the phrase “I am a heart transplant recipient”. The entire atmosphere in the room changes immediately. I have been welcomed by patients and family in such enthusiastic ways that it makes me smile to be welcomed and not feared. As we talk, the patients and myself, we share each others stories, what happened, how long have they been waiting, family, and lots of other general

things. I always tell them I am NOT a doctor or a nurse or a medical professional, but I have been here and I have done this transplant thing and possibly I can give them some HOPE.

With most, an immediate bond starts to form. Their guard is lowered a bit and often I become a bit emotional as we talk. I become emotional, a bit misty eyed, as I remember how I felt and also because as sick as I was, many of these people have been through years of what I went through in less than a month. We all have our own fears. And transplant patients each have theirs. For some it might be money, others worry about not being able to work in the

garden again (due to the mold & spores in the ground that can cause rejection), others worry about going back to work, can I drink a beer, can I ……….. fill in the blank.

Sometimes it’s the BIG question ……..

how long will I live? The one that can only be answered by God ………

come back for part 4 and the conclusion soon!