weights until he is a full year removed from surgery.
“He’s doing well,” Dr. Kilic says. “Overall, he’s doing wonderful. He’s back to enjoying life and being an ambassador both for baseball and organ transplantation.”
His ambassador work not only includes being an advocate for organ donation, but also being a spokesperson for others that may be in need of a donor.
“I’m very thankful to the donor’s family for being on a donor’s card,” Baines adds. “I have to stress how important it is to be a donor. I remember Ed Farmer [long-time White Sox broadcaster and Baines’ ex-teammate] was big on donors, and we would do something downtown every year. Little did I know I would need it one day.”
April is National Donate Life month. However, Baines has been stressing the importance of being a organ donor long before. He recently visited an older gentleman who was just getting started at Johns Hopkins. Seeing the positive result of Baines transplant gave the patient hope.
“That’s the least I can do, is keep awareness out there for donors,” Baines shares. “People die on the waiting list. I was one of the fortunate ones. I’m not going to start out doing PSAs or anything like that. If somebody needs me to visit and talk about getting a heart transplant, I’ll be happy to talk with them.”
Some transplant recipients have lived as many as 30-40 years post-surgery, “which is amazing,” according to Dr. Kilic. This means Baines could have many years ahead of him.
“We usually tell patients that 50 percent of the people are alive at 12 years,” Dr. Kilic adds, “and 50 percent [of] people have passed away.”
To get involved with organ donation locally, click here.