John Lee’s New Heart: The Road to Life

On October 12th, 2023, John and his wife Joanne were preparing to move from their home of 22 years. They were seated at the signing table for their new home when John’s color turned pale and his chest tightened. Within minutes, EMTs arrived on the scene and transported John to Piedmont Hospital in Fayetteville, GA. There, the doctors and cardiologists confirmed that John was experiencing a severe heart attack. After transporting him to the catheterization lab, they discovered his left anterior descending artery (LAD) was 100% blocked, requiring a stent to clear the blockage. They also identified four other major arteries that were at least 80% occluded.

The following morning, John was transported to Piedmont Atlanta for further care and evaluation. After several days of testing and preparation for bypass surgery, he went into cardiac arrest on Wednesday, October 18th. John was intubated and sedated for 48 hours in the ICU and placed on ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation), which pumped and oxygenated blood outside of his body, allowing his heart and lungs to rest. On Friday the 20th, John was extubated and brought back to full consciousness. Twenty-four hours later on October 21st, his vitals crashed, and the ICU team shocked his heart back into rhythm.

As the possibility of bypass surgery diminished, the Piedmont medical team conducted further tests and determined that a heart transplant would be the best option to prolong John’s life. On Wednesday, October 25th, the hospital committee met and graciously determined that John would be listed for a transplant. Through a series of miracles and mercies from the Lord, John’s new heart was “matched” on Thursday, November 2nd and transplanted on Friday, November 3rd, John and Joanne’s 34th wedding anniversary.

The Lee family remains thankful to the donor and his family and stand in awe of God’s goodness and provision throughout this journey. The Lord has used this difficult and shocking situation to bring much glory to his kingdom as thousands of individuals have prayed earnestly, experiencing God’s blessings in the midst of trial. The persistent prayer is that John would be granted more time on earth to live out his God-given purpose – to glorify God and share the truth, mercy, and love of Jesus Christ.

As the Lees prepare for the road to recovery, they anticipate numerous medical expenses that will exceed the $250,000 per event limit of their health care sharing plan. These include:

• Hospital bills and lab work including potential stays in Piedmont Fayetteville and Piedmont Atlanta – estimated $120,000
• Annual anti-rejection and other medications necessary to prolong John’s life –
approximately $12,000 per year
• Contingency for future complications and additional care – estimated – $90,000.
• Follow-up care (once per week) and cardiac rehab (up to 3 times per week) – cost TBD
• Caregiver and travel expenses
• Dental care (related to transplant)
• Medical equipment for the home

Though the Lord continues to provide abundantly for the family’s needs, they humbly accept financial contributions to provide for John’s transplant-related expenses now and into the future. Thank you for your continued support and prayers on behalf of John and his family.