L.A. man gets heart transplant after waiting over 2 years

January 10, 2011 (about 6 weeks ago) will be a day Sean Cronkite will never forget. After waiting two and a half years for a life-saving heart transplant, that was the day he got the call that a heart was available for him. According to the story, OC Man Gets Long-Awaited Heart Transplant, on ABClocal.go.com, Sean's wait was lengthened by the fact that he's a big guy standing six foot six inches tall. Therefore, his body would require a heart from another big guy or gal. Otherwise, as Sean described it, it would be "Sort of like putting a Mini Cooper engine in a truck, it's not going to do it." Sean's chances of finding a match were even slimmer than most people due to his size.

Sean needed the heart transplant because he was born with a condition where blood flowed the wrong way in his heart. The surgical repair done earlier in life did not work anymore, so a transplant was his last hope. Sean knew things were different when he woke up the day after his transplant. His EKG was normal for the first time in his life. Plus, he felt a strong heartbeat for the first time ever. Sean said his new heartbeat was so strong that it actually shook him.

I can relate to Sean. I remember what that "shaking" felt like. In fact, for the first few weeks after my transplant, the "shaking" kept me awake some nights. It was kinda spooky. However, looking back I wouldn't have changed anything. The "shaking" told me I now had a good, strong, V-8 engine in my chest. The worn-out, flabby 2-cylinder was gone. Praise the Lord !!

Sean's wait was lengthy for another reason - the shortage of organ and tissue donors in the U.S. If more Americans would sign up to be organ and tissue donors, Sean and others would not have to suffer for so long before getting the transplants they need. Plus, the 19 that die every day because they run out of time waiting would not have to perish. You can help. If you have not signed up to be an organ and tissue donor yet, I want to encourage you to do so. You can sign up or get more information by clicking here to visit the Donate Life America website.