Cindy Dolan:  

February 4th, of 2009, I received an artificial heart at Tampa General Hospital, on the West coast of Florida, that saved my life and is keeping me alive until a heart comes along to match mine for transplant. I've survived since 1987 after an initial diagnosis of dilated cardiomyopathy and CHF with six months or less to live and my surviving has been breaking a multitude of medical statistics and records as well as against all odds. While having been to the brink more times than I can count, God and incredibly wonderful medical personel continue to keep pulling me back. So I'm pleased to say that I am still among the living, above ground and very thankful, grateful and blessed by it all. I'm currently feeling and functioning at a higher level than I have in over two decades. I'm the only female in my county here on the Space Coast of East Central Florida who has an artificial heart (HeartMate II), and one of only two people who has one at all in my county. The other person is a gentleman in the South end of the county. I live in the north end. It is a miraculous device and system. The transplant team at TGH are telling me that there is a high likelihood of my getting a heart transplant before the end of this year. The surgeon who installed this heart pump in me also told me that "The tranplant will be a 'walk in the park' compared to what you've (I've) already been through this year. The V.A.D. surgery is much more difficult than the transplant is." Life is precious and fragile, so every moment, I cherish, enjoy and continue to keep trying to become the very best person I can possibly be, and to serve others in the maximum, most effective way possible. Bringing joy and quality of life to as many as possible while I am on the planet, is my daily purpose and intention. My faith sustains me. "Don't sweat the small stuff... and it's all Small Stuff!". God is in the miracle business, as well as making the seemingly impossile, POSSIBLE. "As long as there is life, there is hope.", as my mother used to say as I was growing up. Life isn't a cliche`, but it sure is challenging, yet rewarding. I've been to death, and life is much better and preferable, no matter how difficult, painful or challenging it is. Maintain hope, no matter what befalls us. We live longer and are healthier when we cling to positivity. Things can always be worse, no matter how terrible things can seem at the time. To live, is to love, share, keep learning, and promote good for our fellow human beings, along with our planet and it's other inhabitants. Learning to accept differences, diplomacy, unselfish consideration of others, promoting kindness, (even random acts of...), broadens our awareness and empowers us to become more a part of the solutions for our earth than remaining part of any of it's problems. To never stop learning while you are able, enriches lives far greater than monetarily. Share your knowledge and skills with others whenever you can. We never know what sort of an impact we may have on anyone. (Help save wildlife, and our forests, the ozone layer, our environments, our seas, and all resources. Don't forget to recycle, and wisely.) Tell people you care, while you can. Life keeps coming at us fast. I'd like to thank all of my classmates, both from Arlington Jr. High and Palmdale High School, and any other mutual schools I've attended with these classmates and others (ie: La Granada elementary, Yucca elementary, Manzanita, Alvord, and various other elementary schools and junior high's in the Riverside/Arlington, Ca. area, and Antelope Valley, Ca. areas), for sharing the growing experience of my youth. So many of you are still clear in my mind with times, moments and events we shared. Since my homelife was exceedingly painful and difficult, you all didn't know it at the time, but I looked forward to being with you at school and it helped me survive the pain at home. Each one of you that I shared friendship, events, acquaintanceship, kind interest, even a smile in the halls between classes or across a classroom, I thank you sincerely from my heart for helping make my childhood experience a better one than I had at home. Thank you for stopping by. I hope each of you have a wonderful day and have all the elements of happiness you need, which encompasses something to do, someone to love and something to look forward to. But most of all, I wish you love. When push comes to shove, and your life is ebbing away (none of us are getting younger), the most important things to you will be, who you love and who loves you. ********************************************************************************************* In December '09 my artifical heart system became infected which spread from exit wound, to the drive line, to the piump pocket, then into my blood stream over time into most of 2010. I had 2 two week stays at TGH during 2010 where I began running out of options to remain alive, since a heart had not come along up to then. They couldn't remove the infection, except to remove my heart & VAD to replace it with a wash-out of the infection & replace with a new younger healthy heart. The doctors admitted near the end of my hospital stay for transplant that they had not believed I would make it to transplant. However......... After a false run a couple of weeks earlier, on August 12th of 2010, I received a donor heart at Tampa General Hospital. The donor was 24 years old. I'm still recovering from the transplant surgery, plus the other surgeries to remove my pacemaker, the artificial heart (VAD), the drive line, all the wires filling my chest for both, and the outside controller, pl...Expand for more