Ralph

“I celebrate two birthdays,” says Ralph. “My original and the day I got my heart transplant.”

It’s not exactly something you’d expect to hear from a guy who was captain of his high school swim team. Or, who had been on the state competitive team of the national Masters Swimming program for the last 15 years.

So when Ralph first learned that he had a heart problem he was shocked. Doctors told him he had a slight atrial fibrillation and that he may eventually need a pacemaker.

Fourteen years after his diagnosis, Ralph received a pacemaker.

Not long after that, Ralph was back in the pool. Until one day he came down with a sinus infection. His family doctor prescribed an antibiotic that interacted with the blood thinner he was taking for his heart. Ralph began to suffer from excessive internal bleeding, which was soon followed by a blood clot in his lungs. After the right ventricle of his heart and both lungs failed, he was put on an ECMO machine until he finally got to where he was able to receive a Thoratech BiVad to assist both his left and right ventricle. Long-term prognosis: Ralph would need a heart transplant.

At this point, Ralph slowly began to regain strength enough to sit up and eventually to walk again. After several months, he returned home with his portable BiVad. This was how he would survive until a new heart became available.

In November 2005 he got the call he was waiting for -- U-M had a heart.

“Dr. Haft and Dr. Pagani worked tirelessly through the night, taking out my old heart and BiVad equipment and putting in the new heart. The next morning…I literally was a new man,” said Ralph.

“The people there are amazing,” said his wife, Bonnie. “Those two doctors…very compassionate about how they were dealing with us as a family. We really appreciated that. I mean, you expect people to do their jobs, but they go way above that.”

“I had a nurse, Marguerite — she made me feel like I was the highlight of her day. Like I was her only patient,” said Ralph. “Another one, Stacy — she could read my lips when I couldn’t speak.”

“U-M was just different. Unlike any hospital I’ve ever been in,” said Bonnie. “There was just this free flow and sharing of information, keeping us well-informed.”

“And Ruth, our social worker, she was so kind and understanding and there for us,” said Ralph. “They all gave me the encouragement and confidence to believe that someday I would be well again. And I am.”

Six months after his heart transplant, Ralph was back in the pool pretty much picking up where he left off -- training for an upcoming Masters Swimming meet. No doubt, he’ll make it.

Looking back, Ralph says, “Everyone at U-M should take great pride when they say, ‘Remember Ralph? Remember how sick he was? Well, look at him today.’ They should feel tremendous accomplishment from that. They should feel proud.”