Heart transplant allows him to keep living
“When I was 39, I was told that I had congestive heart failure. It was a virus that got in there. It was tough to even walk across the kitchen. But over time I got stronger and stronger, and they moved me down from the transplant list.
“I got tired of sitting around, so I went back to work for quite a long time. Then it reared its head again about five years ago. I had to wear a vest that would shock me if my heart went off rhythm. As things progressed, they put in a pump to keep my heart going. That was one of the first times I kind of cried and let it all out. I realized this thing is not going backwards. My heart was failing. I needed a new one.
“That’s where Justin Smith comes in. He was 24 years old, and driving the back roads not far from his home in Silsbee, when he was involved in an accident. Tragically, he lost his life. But God bless him, he was an organ donor. Five organs from his body went to help other people, all in Texas. I was so very fortunate to receive his heart.
“I had the transplant on May 28, 2018. And maybe a year later, I got to meet his mom, his dad, his stepfather, his brothers and his sister at a small cafe in Silsbee. Man, there were a lot of tears that day. I wanted to hold them back and be strong for Justin’s mom, but it wasn’t possible. I mean, we held each other for a while because she felt like she was hugging her son.
“She told me how Justin used to say to her in different situations, ‘Everything’s going to be all right, mama. It’ll be all right.’ So I looked at her, and while gently patting my heart, I said, ‘You know what, it’ll be all right, mama. It’ll be all right.’
“I think about Justin and his family every day. How can I not? I’ll be 67 in August. And his unselfish act of being a registered donor saved my life.”
— Tim Reed
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