Mother of Two Receives the Gift of Life Before Milestone Birthday

Madeleine Solomon loved running track in high school, but a genetic heart condition resulted in her having to stop participating in competitive sports.

One day, when she was 15 years old, Solomon came home feeling sick and more tired than usual.

Not wanting to take any risks, her family took her to her local hospital where a cardiologist did an echocardiogram, a test that uses ultrasound imaging to make pictures of your heart to evaluate your heart muscle and valves. Solomon was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) – a genetic disorder in which the walls of the heart muscles thicken, and at times obstruct the blood flow going to the aorta.

The condition can also lead to irregular heartbeats called arrhythmias. If not treated, it can be fatal.

Doctors traced the genetic disease back to her father, who passed away at 28 years old from the same disease.

Solomon needed an open-heart surgery right away.

“I was very upset that I had to stop playing sports,” Solomon said. “It was hard to recognize the symptoms as an athlete.”

According to the American Heart Association, HCM is a common cause of sudden cardiac arrest in young people, including young athletes. Although student athletes are required to take a physical exam every school year, it doesn’t always include cardiac screenings, which is important for individuals participating in physical activities.

Solomon was placed on a regimen of heart medications, and was diligent about her annual checkups with her cardiologist. She went to college, got married, and had two children.

For 35 years, she was healthy and had no other medical issues.

But in 2015, during a family vacation in Boston, memories of her childhood returned when she started feeling the same symptoms: exhaustion and loss of breath.

Upon her return to Miami, she saw her physician, who determined that she had atrial fibrillation, an irregular heartbeat that can increase the risk of stroke, heart disease, and heart failure.

Solomon was treated with new medications and was closely monitored. But her health continued to deteriorate. By early 2016, she was hospitalized half a dozen times due to heart failure.

She was then seen by UHealth – University of Miami Health System cardiologists Joseph Bauerlein, MD, and Sandra Chaparro, MD, who determined her best hope was to be placed on the national transplant list for a heart.

“An indicator of the severity and progression of her disease was the degree of fluid accumulation over her abdomen and lungs, along with the weakness of the heart and her fatigue,” Dr. Chaparro said. “She was an ideal candidate for heart transplantation.”

This all came as a shock to Solomon, who had not been hospitalized for three decades. Suddenly, she confronted many setbacks and medical challenges. Aside from missed holidays, family birthdays, and outings, she had to quit her job as a pharmaceutical sales rep.

“It was a very tough year for me,” Solomon said. “But my husband and family, my core, have always been there for me every step of the way.”

On August 10, 2017, Solomon was home with her husband when she got the call she’d been waiting for. It was Dr. Bauerlein telling her to come to the hospital for her heart transplant.

The timing couldn’t have been better. When Solomon arrived at the hospital, an echo showed her heart was almost flat and barely pumping. The Miami Transplant Institute at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center performed 28 heart transplants last year with the majority of patients in the 35+ age group, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS).

Solomon underwent a successful heart transplant at Jackson Memorial.

“She was an athlete before and now with her new heart, she can pursue that passion again,” Dr. Bauerlein said.” The team receives joy in seeing our patients get back to their normal life.”

Leading the heart transplant operation was UHealth cardiothoracic vascular surgeon Nicolas Brozzi, MD, along with a multidisciplinary team of physicians, nurses, anesthesiologists, and staff.

“I woke up and said ‘now, I have a new heart,’” Solomon recalled “Jackson has an amazing team.”

Solomon praised the surgeons, physicians, and the nurses in the surgical intensive care unit (SICU), who went above and beyond to take care of her, including washing her hair and giving her massages, as well as the environmental services staff who was friendly and diligent in their work.

Solomon was home by the first week of September, has remained in good health with no setbacks, and has become an advocate for Jackson and the donor family.

“I would love to meet them and tell them their heart lives forever in me,” Solomon said. “I couldn’t be more grateful.”

Solomon is looking forward to traveling, exercising, being outdoors, and getting back to work. She recently celebrated her 50th birthday with family and close friends.

“I’m very grateful since this has given me a different perspective on life,” she said. “I had to have faith, strength, and courage through the most difficult time of my life.”