Heart Transplant Recipient Is Back to Work and Attending Broadcasting School

Pierre Mays of Akron, Ohio, grew up an athlete. At his most fit he was 6’ 3”, 225 pounds of strength. But years later, he would need a different type of strength – the perseverance to make it through the greatest challenge of his life.

The trouble started in 2011 when Pierre underwent a hernia surgery. Several weeks later, while still healing from that, he woke up completely drained of energy. He progressively became more short of breath and started retaining fluid. He went to the hospital, where testing discovered his heart function was only about 5 percent. He was in heart failure.

The former athlete, at the time only in his late forties, began to spiral. He lost his health, his job and his home. It seemed like the only thing he gained was weight. No longer active, he ballooned to 400 pounds.

The ideal path to healing and a healthy life for Pierre was getting on the heart transplant list. But his poor health and high weight initially prevented him from undergoing transplantation. In 2021, he transferred his heart care to University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute. He opted for gastric bypass surgery as a way to lose weight to prepare for transplantation. Still, unfortunately, his condition worsened and he needed additional interventions to keep him alive, including an LVAD – left ventricular assist device.

“Getting the LVAD was really a game-changer for me,” said Pierre. “They call it a bridge to transplant, and it really helped me live more of a normal and active life for several years.”

Pierre went from a sedentary life – only walking 10 to 15 feet at a time – to walking 10 miles during an exercise session. He calls 2022 “a good year.” He got his weight down to 242 pounds and even traveled nationwide. He pursued a career in life insurance sales, went to church and participated in camping trips.

But in the summer of 2023, his cardiac condition worsened further, and the LVAD was no longer enough to sustain his heart function.

“LVADs are designed to be durable and effective in supporting the failing left ventricle of the heart, and they depend on the patient’s right ventricle working appropriately. When right ventricular failure occurs, LVAD support may no longer be sufficient,” said Eiran Z. Gorodeski, MD, MPH, FACC, FHFSA, Director of the Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Center at UH Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute. “This can lead to an inability to circulate blood efficiently through the body, which is what happened in Pierre’s case.”

Pierre was placed on the heart transplant list in October 2022. In September 2023, his health declined to the point that he had to be hospitalized while waiting for a heart.

“While difficult, that time was special. At the hospital, I visited and prayed with dozens of other patients,” said Pierre. “We all needed hope – the transplant patients waiting, the people with cancer, people with heart disease. I talked with other patients with LVADs about my experience. It was wonderful to be there and have nothing to do but commune with other people.”

“Pierre had a wonderful attitude and the staff really enjoyed interacting with him during his stay,” said Dr. Gorodeski. “Because of his size, being 6’ 3” and a bigger guy, you need a really specific type of heart that you know will work well for him, so we didn’t know how long we’d all be waiting for a match.”

Then, on January 6, 2024, at 58 years old, Pierre was notified an appropriate heart had become available, and the team prepped him for surgery.

A month later he was discharged and has been doing well since. He now has a job with a transport company and is attending school for broadcasting.

“I don’t know who my donor was, but the best way I can honor them is to live an honest life and help others, and that’s what I’m trying to do,” said Pierre.

“Pierre’s outcome is what we hope for in all our patients,” said Dr. Gorodeski. “His heart has shone through to everyone throughout this journey, and we know he’ll continue to touch more lives now that he’s healthy and living an active life.”