Community Effort Makes Heart Transplant Possible

In early February, Nebraska was a winter horror show. Areas of the state received more than 15 inches of snow and experienced 50mph wind gusts. The weather was horrendous to say the least. In the midst of the storm, Dan Griffin received a midnight phone call at his home in Elba; after more than a year on the transplant list, a new heart would be arriving at Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.

A race against time

Elba is 145 miles due west of Omaha. In good conditions, the trip takes more than two and a half hours. In whiteout conditions, it is next to impossible. Heart transplants are complicated affairs; the less time the organ has to spend out of a body, the better the chances for a successful transplant. Griffin was suddenly in a race against time, and the outlook was not good.

Enter the Elba Fire Department and the Nebraska Department of Roads. Working together, first responders were able to get a snowplow and a caravan of vehicles to transport Griffin to the hospital. The dangerous conditions reduced their speed to a crawl.

Firefighter Tony Morrow told Live 5 News, “When you cleared the path, it was just as wide as the vehicle so you didn’t have anywhere to go except follow the trail, and some of the drifts were actually over the top of the vehicle. And then when a snowplow hit it, you couldn’t see anything.  It was just a complete whiteout.”

Beating the odds

The trip took over 7 hours from start to finish, but the incredible collaborative effort got Griffin to the hospital in time for the operation. The surgery was a success, though the recovery period averages about 3 months.

Transplants require close monitoring on a rigorous schedule.  Fighting rejection requires frequent check-ups and carefully controlled medications. MedlinePlus says, “Biopsies of the heart muscle are often done every month during the first 6 to 12 months after transplant… This helps determine if your body is rejecting the new heart, even before you have symptoms.”

If the transplant is a success, Dan Griffin will have many happy years to come. We wish him and his family the best of luck for a speedy recovery, and we’re happy to see that the community spirit is alive and well in Nebraska.

At home in South Carolina, we at McGowan, Hood, Felder & Phillips, LLC believe that the community spirit is alive and well, and we’re dedicated to defending the rights of its members. We are here for you when you need help, and we strive to protect our friends and neighbors every day. Contact us today for a free consultation.