Profiles | Lonnie Smith

In 1999, San Jose resident Lonnie Smith was diagnosed with "dilated cardiomyopathy," a condition where the strength of the heart muscle slowly erodes until it no longer adequately supplies the body with blood.

By the time he was 27, three years after the diagnosis, he was near death. His only hope for survival was to receive a new heart through a transplant.

"I first got sick in 1999, as a result of viral pneumonia," recalled Smith, a former amateur boxer. "I was living in Denver with my family, and one day I woke up and I couldn't breathe. I went to the hospital and they ran some tests and found that my lungs were full of fluid and my heart was severely enlarged. What happened was I came down with viral pneumonia but didn't suffer symptoms for several weeks. It ended up damaging my heart. I was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy and given medicines to try and treat it."

Smith's heart, however, was beyond repair. Over the next three years, his condition worsened -- his body swollen, his lungs unable to expand and take in air. "At one point, I couldn't walk more than a couple of yards without being overcome with this bloated feeling in my stomach [like] it was filled with air," Smith said. "And I had chest pain all the time. Over a four-year period I went to the emergency room for treatment 60 times. My doctors in Denver just werent able to control the progression of the disease."

In 2002, Smith moved his wife and children from Denver to San Jose. But when he reached California, he fell ill again. At one point, his wife took him to the emergency room at Valley Medical Center in San Jose. After enduring an allergic reaction to a medication, his heart further deteriorated. "I was actually near death," said Smith. He was referred to UCSF Medical Center where he met Dr. Teresa De Marco, a cardiologist, and became a candidate for a heart transplant.

After undergoing testing and emergency treatments under the care of De Marco, Smith prepared to receive a donor heart in November 2002. The story of that transplant is recounted in the award-winning "Change of Heart" television documentary produced by the Foundation for Cardiac Research and foundation board member William Criswell. The program aired in October 2003.

"The operation was actually painless," Smith said. "I had an astounding recovery and the doctors thought it was just remarkable the way I came back so fast. I was shocked to finally be out of pain."

Dr. Charles Hoopes, the surgeon who performed the transplant, said, "Lonnie impressed me as a guy with a real problem who was very sincere. What also impressed me about him was the fact that he was very empathetic to the other patients in the hospital. Lonnie understood he had a severe problem and he was very grateful that he was a good candidate for transplant. He was someone trying to do the right thing for himself and his family."

Smith's story is a testament to his wife's courage to make difficult decisions and help bring her husband through his ordeal. "My wife Abena made the final decision (about the transplant)," Smith said. "I was so sick I couldn't respond. I was so sick I couldn't even recognize my wife. I was willing to go through the transplant, but Abena was the one who orchestrated it. She was my narrator. She spoke for me."

The work being done by De Marco, Hoopes and other doctors in cardiology at UCSF Medical Center gave Smith a second chance. "I want to pursue my calling as a minister," Smith said. "In addition, I have been speaking to patients going through similar situations to help them through the difficult times."

Smith said, "Aside from that, my ultimate goal is to meet the donor's parents and personally thank them and tell them that a part of their son still is alive. Since the transplant, I have written letters and tried to make contact with them, but we haven't connected yet. But I'm still waiting patiently to meet them. I'm just so thankful to have this heart that works so well and that was accepted by my body. Now I just want to manage it well and keep it functioning at its best."

John Aiello is a San Francisco-based freelance writer. Story written in December 2004.

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