Tommy got his new heart!!!

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gijanet

gijanet

Well-known member
Joined
May 18, 2004
Messages
1,767
Location
Arlington, Tx.
I'm sorry that I have been so negligent in posting this, but the end of the school year always kicks me right square in the butt. Anyway, Katie's little valve buddy Tommy got his new heart last Wednesday. He is doing incredibly well, but there is some concern about the tricuspid valve, which has a lot of regurgitation. (Ironic, since that is the same valve in his native heart that was problematic!) The hope is that the valve regurgitation will decrease once the heart recovers from the shock of the transplant surgery.

You guys have been so good about praying for Tommy and adding him to your prayer chains, for which I am very thankful. Please change those prayers to ones of thanks and for that valve to start behaving and for Tommy not to reject his new heart. (Remember he has been undergong chemo to wipe out his immune system due to the extraordinarily high number of antibodies due to his numerous surgeries.) His carepage is ThomasEarl if you want to leave a personal message. There is much to rejoice, but we are not out of the woods yet, so please keep those prayers going. Please remember the family, too, that lost their loved one making this miracle possible. Many hugs. Janet
 
Great update and continued prayers for Tommy
Thank-you for letting us know more about this.

zipper2 (DEB)
 
Praying for dear Tommy that his body does not reject his new heart & that the valve begins to heal on it's own & he can go on to enjoy a new & healthier life ahead! :)

Prayers to all his family as well! :)
 
We are praying for tommy and his family best of luck with everything and have a speedy recovery
 
Thanks for the update. transplantbuddies.com was another forum that I was reading when I thought a heart transplant was imminent for my son. It is not nearly as good as this one, but it was still helpful to me.
 
Lots of loving thoughts going to Tommy and an enormous bouquet of gratitude for the donor family. Without donors, many would have no chance. My friend's granddaughter who is 17 is on her third kidney...the last of which came from a 15 yr old young man who was shot in the head. His family donated every part of his body that could be used, so hurrah for donors and their families who see thru the tragedy and understand the final good their loved one can do.
Midge
 
Tommy continues to improve!

Tommy continues to improve!

Thank you guys so much. Things are continuing to improve for Tommy, so please keep those prayers going up. I am so grateful. It is about time this family has some positive things going on with Tommy. He has been struggling for so long. Here's tonight's update:

{Colleen}: I can't believe that it was one week ago (in about 3 hours from now), that 'the call' came in. Each day I feel like it will all start to sink in more but each day I am more overcome by another facet of it all. It was also one year ago today that Tommy was officially listed for a heart (after finding out on May 6th that this was the road we were taking).

Tommy was moved out of the ICU today and onto the general floor into an Isolation room. We soon found out that his 'transplant sister', Lindsay, was right behind him! He is doing well but says he is a bit 'confused' and he's been quiet, but we are working through it. His echo showed that the Tricuspid valve leak is improved and so his the function of the right ventricle so we will take that and give thanks!

Tommy also got up and walked today for the first time! He did real well, and peeking in on Lindsay from the window next door was a great incentive! He said he felt 'woozy', a little light headed and tired after a brief stroll (all to be expected at this point). His body has been so used to being in severe heart failure for so long and working so hard to do the simplest of things, that there is a lot to get used to for both his body and his new heart.

When I think of all the things he could not do over the last 15 months, like go to school, be outside last summer (the heat was too much), or outside in the winter (the cold too much), play outside, climb stairs, run a base, he has never been on a bike, eat without gagging and vomiting, be able to get through a meal at his favorite restaurant or more recently go to church as a family (although going to public places like these will still be off limits for 3 months). Recently, he was even unable to brush his teeth at night from exhaustion and his daily naps were getting longer. When I think of what Dr. Ohye said about the real condition of his heart, I lose my breath.

The emotions I find myself having are ones I don't think I have allowed myself to have up until this point,..combined with the timing of things and the circumstances of the previous 3 weeks,..it's really impossible to describe. Today I was reminded of another 'part' to this Miracle that caused me to lose it, yet again. On the day of Tommy's transplant there was a dedication ceremony taking place in the front of the hospital for the 6 lives lost 2 yrs. ago on June 4th when Survival Flight crashed with an organ procurement team coming back here to do a surgery on a 50 yr. old man. A sculptured wall was built, made of 600 stainless steel flaps, designed to rotate when Survival Flight or a Helicopter comes or leaves UofM. During the ceremony, at about 1:45pm, Survival Flight flew over the sculpture and the flaps began rotating, as if done on purpose,..that flight had Tommy's new heart on it (chills).
I went out and looked at the sculpture today and can't stop thinking about the families who lost their loved ones while doing their job and saving lives.

So, I offer a prayer of thanks for all of those in the medical field who have a passion for caring for others and saving lives. I am especially thankful for the amazing team of doctors and nurses who have been by Tommy's side for almost 9 years.

Blessings & thank you for your continued prayers,
...Colleen
 
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