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Your fellow friend/colleague/community citizen Greg Wright needs your help.

Diagnosed with congestive heart failure and non-ischemic cardiomyopathy in 2007, Greg’s condition has deteriorated since and he will require a transplant sometime in 2020 to survive. (Update: Greg received a donor heart February 27).

Updates (25)

October 31, 2020

Hello folks,

October 27 marked the eight-month milestone since transplant. I am pleased to report that 11 biopsies have resulted in either 0R or 1R readings. That means the donor heart is working well. No effusion. Normal size. Purring along.

However, the past two months have provided challenges. Namely, a severe GI infection that cropped up in late August. I was twice hospitalized at HUP for treatment. Thanks to the heart transplant team, my "insides" are back to acceptable levels due to a twice-daily iv solution thru a picc.

The infection was an outlier from a compromised or weakened immune system. What I initially thought was a bug was instead a serious issue. The lesson learned? If ANYTHING seems amiss, for whatever reason, contact the medical team IMMEDIATELY.

July 27, 2020

Hello friends, today marks five months since my transplant, and the donor heart has performed splendidly. 8/8 zero rejections plus 3/3 COVID-19 negative tests.

For yours truly, the hardest part during the pandemic is having patience and controlling emotions. Though I feel pretty much like my old self, I simply cannot do normal activities like grocery or clothes shopping. When I do go to order from restaurants or pick up orders at the local pharmacy, or go to the bank, all transactions are drive-thru. The lines can be longer than usual but it's all about being patient bc everyone else is in the same boat.

May we all pray that an effective vaccine will be developed soon to mitigate, if not eliminate, the deadly consequences of contracting this virus. As one who is co-morbid, I am especially careful to wear my mask in public, observe social distancing, and use hand sanitizer often. So far, so good.

I have another eight biopsies to go before I reach the transplant first anniversary on Feb. 27, 2021. The care received by the folks at the Penn Heart Transplant Clinic in Philadelphia continues to be outstanding. I would recommend Penn Medicine's cardiologists, surgeons, therapists and nurses to anyone in similar circumstances to my situation.

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Guestbook

September 30, 2022

Greg:

So sorry to hear of your health issues and hope the new heart has given you new life. I now live in Arizona, having survived a stroke, head-on auto accident (caused by another driver) and major brain tumor surgery all in a span of 1 1/2 years. But I\'m doing fine with 3 businesses, including motivational speaking, designing casual men\'s sportswear and some celebrity representation. Attended Frank Lindeburg\'s memorial 8 years ago and spoke at it. John Masi has been seriously ill for a number of years and everyones\' gone from UCR. Even the athletic program may be disbanded in a couple years.

Wishing you all the best of health and happiness.

Dave Mann
email: [email protected]

Dave Mann

June 26, 2020

Wish you a good health.

Anonymous

March 31, 2020

Greg,

I'm very pleased to see that they found a heart for you. I know this has been a very difficult time for you but, now the future should look brighter. Stay safe in this time of Covid19.

Best wishes to you and your family,

Dan

Daniel Audette