Good News!

We got a call this morning from Latoya informing us that I am now listed for a new heart. Man, it is kind of wild. . . sobering. . . and surreal. . .

On Friday I get a pager and if the batteries work they'll contact me at anytime. It might be 2 weeks up to 1 year. The heart needs to come come from at least 50 miles from Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, Utah. When they have a potential great match for my body the pager goes off and I head to the hospital with my 72 hour kit (or things I want to have for recovery). I have one hour to get there. In the meantime a thoracic surgeon travels to where the new heart is and carefully removes it from the donor. He or she will have a good idea from there if it will be a perfect match and if so they prep me for surgery. The thoracic surgeon brings the new heart to the hospital where Dr. John Doty will carefully remove my bad heart. Incidentally, he is the son of Donald Doty who did my 2 previous open heart surgeries where I almost died. So, I know I am in good hands. (The father has worked on the engine and can tell his son what is in there.)

This is a very difficult surgery because of my heart's anatomy. And there will be a lot of scar tissue from the surgeries I had early in my life. Finding the good tissue among the bad will be tough. He has to cut in the right places.

We have every confidence in the transplant team and in Dr. John Doty. He is a man of faith and said to me personally, "We will not lose you!"

Please pray for my wife Lynnette and daughter Eden. Pray for Dr. John Doty and his team who will determine the best heart for me. And most of all pray for the family whose sacrifice and tragedy will bless our family. I may never meet them or know of their loss.

What gives me comfort and peace? The love I feel from my wife, family, and friends. Thanks to all of you we literally feel the arms of God around us.

I also find great comfort in my faith. I know that God lives. Jesus is the Christ. He is my friend. Life is part of a three act play. We are now experiencing the challenges of the 2nd act. In time, all of us will begin act three as we wait for the resurrection made possible by Jesus Christ overcoming death himself. All of us receive that gift.

Some of us may need a physical transplant but we must also, all of us, experience a spiritual transplant. I strive for that every day of my life because I know I am far from perfect in kindness and friendship. But, through faith, repentance, and baptism we may begin the process of having spiritual heart transplant made possible by the suffering of our Savior in Gethsemane and on the Cross.

We all have are own challenges. . . I'm content. I could always be living in the country Georgia with Russians dropping bombs on my home or in Dar-fur with all my family and friends brutally murdered by genocide. . . . etc. etc. or even worse I could be considered a friend of Michael Jackson, Paris Hilton, or Brittany Spears.

Meeting the transplant team

My wife and I, along with my parents, met with Latoya, a coordinator with the heart and lung transplant team. We, went over all of the aspects of being listed and receiving a heart. There is a lot of work put into the process. One is required to be in somewhat good condition so the heart will not be rejected. There are about 30 on the list in Utah. And they have over 90% success rate for the first year.

Later, we had a memorable meeting with John Doty, the son of Donald Doty who performed both of my previous operations. He studied at Georgetown and then John Hopkins. He was so positive and expressed his desire to be the one to do the surgery. He said his Dad wants to be there as well. He said, “We are not going to let anything happen to you.” I know they will do an extremely professional job. He is a great man just like his Dad. (Donald Doty served as a general authority Seventy and was a surgical partner with Elder Russell M. Nelson, an apostle in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints)

On Tuesday they will present my case before the board and there will be a vote. I’ll know in a few days if we move forward. But, I'm confident it will go through. Since my first meeting with Dr. Renlund (also a area seventy) I have had various tests and a lot of blood work. These things don’t bother me.

I have received nothing but support from family and friends. People are so good to us. And I thank everyone for their faith and prayers on my behalf. Also pray for the family whose tragedy and sacrifice will create new life and another chance for me and my family.