South Florida Man Participates at Transplant Games of America in Cleveland

Boca Raton resident Alec Blotnick always loved to play golf. However, at the age of 51, he suffered a massive heart attack in 2001, followed by heart failure years later. Blotnick struggled with shortness of breath and lacked the energy to do much of anything.

Diagnosed with congestive heart failure, he turned to doctors at Jackson Memorial Hospital for help. In June 2015, he had a lifesaving heart transplant – now he’s feeling better than ever.

Blotnick, now 67, recently traveled to Cleveland, Ohio, to compete in the Transplant Games of America, a multi-sport event dedicated to promoting organ, eye, and tissue donation.

Not only did he play in the Transplant Games’ golf tournament – he won.

“It has been an awesome experience,” Blotnick said. “I took first place in my age division, beating out some good golfers, and was awarded a gold medal. I am thankful to the transplant team at UM/Jackson.”

Today, he reflects on the journey towards transplantation that began 15 years ago.

“I woke up one morning feeling really sick, vomiting, and I thought I had stomach problems because that’s where the pain was,” Blotnick said. “I knew something was wrong.”

Blotnick was rushed to his local hospital, where physicians performed an EKG and determined he was having a heart attack. They immediately performed an emergency triple bypass surgery. His chance for survival seemed slim. But Blotnick beat the odds and survived that scare.

He recovered and was able to return to playing golf weekly. But in 2013, he could tell his health was declining, and his heart began weakening once again.

“I was weak and I had to stop working,” said Blotnick, who had a successful career in real estate and business manufacturing. “Walking across a parking lot was a major effort – imagine a golf course.”

His cardiologist in Boca Raton referred him to UHealth – University of Miami Health System cardiologist E. Joseph Bauerlein, MD, who specializes in congestive heart failure at the Miami Transplant Institute (MTI), an affiliation between UHealth and Jackson Memorial Hospital.

“Mr. Blotnick took excellent care of himself and had received constant care from his cardiologist, Dr. Steve Coletti, which had allowed him to do well for several years. Despite this, at the time we saw him, he was having a rapid decline in his functional ability and his situation was critical.”

After Dr. Bauerlein and the transplant team evaluated Blotnick, they determined that he was a candidate for a heart transplant. As a bridge to transplant, Blotnick was prescribed a constant infusion heart medication known as Milrinone, which allows the heart to pump harder. He was then placed on the national waiting list.

“I always have a very optimistic attitude and I always think there’s a solution,” Blotnick said. “But my health was affecting me spiritually.”

After eight months of improving his heart health, there was a sudden deterioration and he passed out at home. He was immediately rushed to the hospital. A week later, Blotnick was transferred to Jackson Memorial Hospital for advanced therapy. Six months later, a donor heart became available.

In June 2015, he underwent a successful heart transplant surgery at Jackson Memorial, performed by UHealth transplant surgeon Matthias Loebe, MD, PhD, FCCP, FACC, alongside a team of physicians and Jackson nurses and staff members, including MTI pre-transplant coordinator Gilbert Marcos, and post-transplant coordinator Gleidys Krebs.

After close monitoring of his overall health, including rehabilitation therapy and exercise, Blotnick regained his coveted lifestyle. He is enjoying spending time with his family, and doing the things he loves to do – like playing golf.

“Now I feel like a totally different person; my energy level is tremendous,” Blotnick said. “I no longer struggle walking around the golf course.”

When he heard about the Transplant Games, Blotnick knew he didn’t want to miss out.

His medical team is proud of how far he has come.

“It is wonderful to see our patient returning to an active life after heart transplant,” Dr. Loebe said. “Many of them have attended the Transplant Games, winning medals in the often highly competitive contest. Their success is the greatest reward for our team at The Miami Transplant Institute.”