Wayne’s heart-health journey began in 2015 with a diagnosis of heart failure. A lifelong resident and truck driver from Benton, Louisiana, Wayne continued to live his life. He adapted to the rhythms of a weakened heart. In 2020, the world changed, and so did Wayne’s health. He contracted COVID-19. Instead of bouncing back, he found himself sinking.
“I just wasn’t feeling as energetic as I should,” said Wayne. He scheduled an appointment with his primary healthcare physician who promptly referred him to Advanced Cardiovascular Specialists (ACS). “Right off the bat, I could tell they genuinely really care, but they didn’t hold anything back. They put it to me just the way it was. They told me that I was in chronic heart failure. They really explained it thoroughly: what was happening, why it was happening the way it was and why I was feeling the way that I was feeling.”
Wayne managed his chronic heart failure for several years under the care of Dr. James “Jimmy” Smith at ACS. As his condition progressed, Wayne’s symptoms became more severe. Eventually, the simple act of walking from one room to another required him to stop and catch his breath. It also became clear that Wayne needed an evaluation for a heart transplant. He was referred to Dr. Amarinder Bindra at Baylor Scott and White Advanced Heart Failure Clinic in Dallas, Texas.
Wayne’s health journey took a terrifying turn after his initial evaluation for a heart transplant with Dr. Bindra. Back in Shreveport, his blood pressure plummeted. His heart spiraled into a dangerous rhythm, and he was rushed to a hospital by ambulance. Wayne coded once in the ambulance and again at the hospital, fighting for his life as he went into multiorgan failure.
The path to a new heart was not a straight line. It was a test of faith. There were no in-network transplant centers in the region covered by Wayne’s insurance, which required him to wait for Medicare coverage. For three months, he received treatment weekly at the ACS Heart Failure Clinic to manage his chronic heart failure diagnosis. Once Wayne received Medicare coverage, he immediately underwent evaluation for a heart transplant and was approved.
Hopes were high for the first potential match, but a follow-up call came the next day. It wasn’t the right fit. When the second call came, Wayne got all the way to Dallas and was prepped for surgery. After hours of waiting, the surgeon delivered the news that the heart wasn’t a viable match. Remarkably, Wayne’s spirit remained unbroken. When the call came again one week later, there was no doubt this time. The third time was the charm. At 2:35 on a Sunday morning, Wayne went into surgery. Soon, a new heart began to beat in his chest.
“A heart transplant is major, major surgery,” said Wayne. “I kid you not: five days after my surgery, I was up walking around, walking up stairs. That’s how fast I was recovering.”
Wayne didn’t just survive. He thrived, exceeding the expectations of his Dallas healthcare team in the months post-transplant. Wayne believes that it wasn’t just medicine at work. It was a higher power.
“I wanted to live to see my grandkids grow up, be able to run and play with them, and just get back to a normal life,” said Wayne. “On the other hand, you know, someone had to give their life. A life ended, and I don’t take that for granted.”
Today, the man who couldn’t walk between rooms can do everything he wants. Wayne also continues to meet regularly with other heart-transplant patients he met through a support group at Advanced Cardiovascular Specialists. “We talk on the phone,” said Wayne. “We meet up and have breakfast together. We just laugh, talk and encourage each other. It’s really a good thing.”
His gratitude for Dr. Jimmy Smith, Elizabeth, Kellie and the rest of the ACS team is boundless. “I love my cardiologist and nurses,” said Wayne. “I tell all of them: ‘Y’all are angels. You don’t see your wings behind you. I see them, and so do the other patients.’”
The team at Advanced Cardiovascular Specialists consists of North Louisiana’s leading experts in cardiovascular care. For more information or to schedule an appointment, please call our office at (318) 798-9400.