After a Decade of Living with Heart Disease, Transplant Gives Patient a Second Chance
Megan Dennie, 48, was always the life of the party; she traveled the world, and kept busy working as a private nurse aide while completing college courses in special education. Being a caretaker and entertaining everyone she encountered was second nature to her.
However, beginning in 2006, she was the one who needed to be taken care of as she began experiencing heart issues. Her heart fluttered irregularly and would often skip a beat – both symptoms of an underlying heart disease.
“I felt like I wanted to pass out at work one day,” Dennie said. “I immediately went to my doctor the next day. I was frightened.”
At a clinic in Miami-Dade County, Dennie had an echocardiogram (EKG) – a test that checks for problems with the electrical activity of the heart. Doctors diagnosed her with congestive heart failure, a condition that is caused by the heart not having the ability to pump an adequate amount of blood to meet the needs of organs and muscles. Those who suffer from it become tired and weak. Dennie’s heart was performing at just 25 percent.
About 1.5 million people in the nation suffer from heart failure. For many people, including Dennie, heart conditions are hereditary. This diagnosis caused her to immediately take control of her life before it was too late.
An implantable cardioverter defibrillator, a small device that treats irregular heartbeats, was implanted in her chest as a temporary solution. She wore it for nine years to regulate her heart beat, but as time passed, her condition worsened, causing her to rapidly gain weight. Despite her health struggles, she followed her dreams and furthered her education, earning a master’s degree to become a certified teacher.
“I wanted my nieces and nephews to see that no matter what life throws at you, always finish what you started,” Dennie said. “I was not going to give up.”
As Dennie’s health continued to decline, a friend suggested she go to the Miami Transplant Institute, a partnership between Jackson Health System and UHealth—University of Miami Health System. She met with UHealth nephrologist Gabriel N. Contreras, MD.
“When no one would touch me or handle my case, he wholeheartedly did without hesitation,” Dennie said. “Test results showed that I needed a heart transplant…I knew I could trust him.”
However, there was more bad news.
The long-term effects of the medicine Dennie had been taking for so many years to treat her heart condition had caused her kidneys to fail. Doctors told her that she also needed a kidney transplant.
At the time, Dennie weighed 416 pounds. To be considered a good candidate for transplantation, she had to lose weight. Dr. Contreras recommended she have gastric sleeve weight-loss surgery.
Dennie followed doctor’s orders, undergoing the weight-loss surgery. She lost half her weight and was then placed on the national transplant waiting list.
In September 2015, her prayers were answered – a heart and kidney donor had been found.
She immediately underwent transplant surgery at Jackson Memorial Hospital. The medical team was led by UHealth surgeons Matthias Loebe, MD, and Nicolas Brozzi, MD. Also crucial to her journey was her UHealth cardiologist Eugene Bauerlein, MD.
The surgery was a success.
“I thank everyone I met along the way – the doctors, the nurses, and the staff. They restored my life,” she said. “I want to give back by encouraging people in our community to be organ donors.”
Dennie is enjoying spending time with her family and looks at her life in a whole new light. She’s looking forward to celebrating her 49th birthday in mid-February.
“I feel like every opportunity I get, I invite my friends over to my house; I don’t wait until my birthday to celebrate,” Dennie said. “I started celebrating the day I came back home and live each day like there is no tomorrow.”