A heart transplant survivor celebrates 30 years

Tina Buck received her heart in Norfolk, Virginia, 30 years ago when she was 16 years old. After being incorrectly diagnosed with asthma, her primary care physician noticed an enlarged vein in her neck. Shortly thereafter, doctors discovered Tina had HCM, or hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, an abnormally thick heart muscle that made pumping blood extremely difficult. She was hospitalized and waited for two months until August of 1994, when a donor heart was found. A little girl in Asheville, North Carolina, had been struck and killed by a car. Natalie McAbee was 11 years old. She was also deaf and never heard the vehicle coming. Her family made the decision to give the ultimate life-saving gift of organ donation.

“I think if more people could understand that in tragedy something beautiful comes then perhaps more people would do it”, said Sentara Heart Transplant Surgical Director Christopher Sciortino, M.D. “The miracle here is the generosity of the donor.”

Tina’s surgery was a success, and she went on to finish high school and college. In 1998, however, she found herself in renal failure and wound up also having a kidney transplant. Today, she continues to be cared for by the transplant team at Sentara Heart Hospital and attends monthly heart transplant support group meetings. Tina is a friend and mentor to group members.

“Tina has been an amazing member of our group,” said Rufe Vanderpool, who is a support group member and heart transplant recipient. “We are all living a unique life. Having someone with Tina’s years of experience and wisdom brings so much to our group. We are all walking a path in life that has her footprints in the dirt.”

After connecting in 2010, Tina remains in close touch with her donor family. She traveled to their home in Asheville, spent time in Natalie’s bedroom, and visited her gravesite. Tina said she has learned some sign language to better communicate with Natalie’s hearing-impaired relatives and is grateful they are close. She added, “It is so nice to have a relationship with them. They are like a second family to me.”

Sentara Heart Hospital is the region’s first and only dedicated heart hospital and remains a destination medical center nationally. An average of 20 to 30 heart transplants are performed there annually. Since opening its doors in 2006, more than 560 patients have received that life-saving gift at Sentara Heart Hospital. Many more are waiting, however. There are at least 3,400 people on the national waiting list for a heart and in most cases, without a donor, they will die. This is why making the decision to become an organ donor is vital. To learn more and sign up to make the designation, visit the National Donate Life Registry at registerme.org