Windy Hill has you topped for Mother's Day gifts this year. Hands down. Or should I say hearts down.
Surgeons were supposed to fit the 38-year-old new mom of Kingsport, Tennessee, with a mechanical heart pump at Vanderbilt University Hospital. But when Hill was still under anesthesia, a transplant donor had been found. Her fiancé, Joseph Berry, completed the consent paperwork and when she woke up, it was with a new heart beating inside her.
"What happened that morning for Miss Hill met the classic definition of a miracle," said cardiac surgeon Dr. Rashid Ahmad. "She delivered a baby six months ago and had antibodies which would pretty much reject most donor hearts."
Ever since she gave birth in October, Hill experienced chest pain and doctors found a tear in her left anterior artery. Even though she recovered from a coronary bypass, the damage to her heart had been done. Hence her scheduled surgery to insert the Heart Mate II left ventricular assist device (LVAD), an aid to circulate the blood throughout the body since her heart was too weak to pump adequately.
"I didn't believe it," Hill said. "I had to reach down and feel for the pump and when I realized it wasn't there, I knew I had a heart."
Hill spent Mother's Day (her first) convalescing in the hospital with baby Gracie at her side.
"We pray for the family of the donor to find comfort and peace knowing that their loved one gave life to our family, saved Windy, and gave our 6-month-old daughter a second chance at life with her mother. Words will never be enough to express our thanks and gratitude," Berry said.
The Vanderbilt performs an estimated total of around 35-40 adult heart transplants a year. But transplants are only possible through generous organ donation. Have you done yours yet?
Printer-friendly version