feed other patients and their families. At Vaughn’s home, a close friend who owns a carpet cleaning business cleaned every room for no charge. Another friend changed out weakened wooden spindles on the stairway with wrought iron to ensure it was safe.
After nine difficult days in the hospital while medical teams worked to stabilize him, Vaughn went on the transplant waiting list. Four days later, he had a match.
“It was a moment of joy,” Vaughn recalls. “I was still going to be here.”
As Vaughn recovered, pain was a constant companion. His leg muscles had atrophied from being immobile for so long. The experience also took a mental toll.
“All the emotions I didn’t get to deal with during those nine days of being in and out of awareness (before going on the transplant waiting list) all came rushing over me like a tidal wave,” he shares.
He also was awed by the way his loved ones rallied around him during that difficult time. “It wasn’t easy for my family, but they stepped in and gave all they had to ensure I would have a chance at survival,” he adds. “My support system was amazing, and I will forever be thankful.”
Talking to a therapist helped Vaughn work through his emotions. He also saw a psychiatrist, who prescribed antidepressants. He’d become so emotionally devastated that he’d considered taking his own life.
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His “new normal”
Thanks to cardiac rehab, he became strong enough to walk in his local American Heart Association Heart Walk. Not long afterward, surrounded by a group of friends, he completed a 5K, walking instead of running.
The 5K seemed like proof that Vaughn’s recovery was going great. However, his body soon began to reject his new heart. He felt the same lack of energy and breathlessness he had felt before the transplant.
“There were days I didn’t even want to go to sleep, because I was afraid my heart would stop working,” he says.
Gupta prescribed a different immunosuppressant. The new medication stopped Vaughn’s body from