Sutter Heart & Vascular Institute
Patient Stories
After battling cardiac issues for years, Jackson was referred to Sutter Heart & Vascular's Heart Failure Clinic in 2003. "It was nice to go there, they gave me a lot of attention," he says. "They helped me manage my heart condition and took very good care of me."
When his cardiac problems became worse, Jackson's doctors told him about a Ventricular Assist Device (VAD), a newer technology that helps blood pump properly through an ailing heart.
"I was grateful that the doctors at Sutter Heart & Vascular Institute were extremely knowledgeable," says Jackson. "They were aware of the most modern methods for helping people like me."
However, the VAD was too large a device for Jackson. Fortunately, a second generation of VADs was soon to be released. While Jackson was waiting for the new VADs, he and his cardiologist, Dr. John Chin, controlled his heart conditions with medication and careful monitoring through the Heart Failure Clinic.
In May 2008, Jackson became the first patient at Sutter Memorial Hospital to receive the second generation of the VAD. Just when it seemed everything would be OK, Jackson took a turn for the worse because of an infection resulting from the invasive surgery.
"I was devastated to learn about my infection," says Jackson. "I was depressed and afraid I might die because the only cure was a heart transplant – and I was initially told I was not a candidate for a transplant because of my medical history of stomach lymphoma, Hepatitis B and skin cancer. But my doctors at Sutter did not give up on me. They told me they would do everything they could to get me a heart transplant."
Because of the severity of the infection, Jackson's care team kept close tabs on him. "Over the next few months, I was in the hospital several times," he says. "In December they implemented a contraption that would keep the wound open so the infection would not get worse; it was strapped to my chest. I had to carry that around with me for the next few months."
In April of 2009, Jackson's infection came to an end when – after months of waiting for a donor heart – he received the transplant. "I was so happy to have the heart transplant. Dr. Robert Kincade did a very good job and I got better soon after," Jackson says.
Today, a few months following his transplant, Jackson is doing well. "I even bought my own exercise bike. My wife and I walk sometimes, but now I can do either exercise," he says. "I have so much more energy. And I can breathe a lot easier now."
Looking back on the all the problems his heart has given him, Jackson is in surprisingly good spirits. "It was very hard on me, but what made it all right was the doctors at Sutter. They were always looking out for me, coming up with new ways to help me. I am thankful to be a Sutter patient."