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Advocate Aurora Health Advocate Aurora Health Institutional Repository Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center Books, Documents, and Pamphlets Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center June 2018 The Spirit of St. Luke's, Winter 1993 Aurora Health Care Follow this and additional works at: https://institutionalrepository.aah.org/aslmc_books This Pamphlet is brought to you for free and open access by the Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center at Advocate Aurora Health Institutional Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center Books, Documents, and Pamphlets by an authorized administrator of Advocate Aurora Health Institutional Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A Publication of St. Luke’s Medical Center Office of Philanthropy ST1 LUKE’S MEDICAL CENTER MEDICAL LIBRARY I 4 MILWAUKEE WI St. Luke’s Cutting edge technology gives two patients new lease on life Aurora Health Care Winter 1993 The Spirit ofSt. Luke’s is produced three times a year by St. Luke’s Medical Center/Office ofPhilanthropy for friends and donors. President, St. Luke’s Medical Center: Mark Ambrosius Vice President, St. Luke’s Medical Center/Office ofPhilanthropy: Brad Holmes Director ofAnnual Giving: Laverne Schmidt Director ofPlanned Giving: Loñ Craig Administrative Secretary: Judi Fellows Data Entry Clerk: Desiree Speck Editorial and Graphic Production: Montgomery Media, Inc. Please direct gifts and requests for further information to: Office of Philanthropy St. Luke’s Medical Center 2900 W Oklahoma Ave., P.O. Box 2901 Milwaukee, WI 53201-2901 414-649-7122 Cover Left St. Luke’s heart transplant recipient, Alan McCarty, with his wfe, Debbie, and two children, Marissa, 6, and Shane, 4. Right top Alan McCarty hus regular check-ups with cardiovascular surgeon, Dr. Aifredi Tector. Right bottom Ron and Camilia Jones meet with Kathy Schroeder, autologous bone marrow transplant coordinator. Donor pages: Photos used on thegiftprogram pages ofthis issue were taken at the Annual Lifetime Philanthropists Dinner held each year. 4 JrSt Luke’s [ Winter 1993 The lifetime: living ten months at St. Luke’s . 2 Bone marrow transplant provides hope for breast cancer patient 10 Fred and Edna Goad: “Giving is just part ofliving” 14 The Gift Programs of St. Luke’s Medical Center Office of Philanthropy 16 The Spirit of St. Luke’s The wait of a lifetime— living ten months at St. Luke’s iir-’- — ,i*, A almost ten months, at the age of 35, : Alan lived at St. Luke’s Medical Cen t ter tethered to a high tech machine that kept him alive while he awaited a heart transplant. Every Sunday night during those long months, he would kiss his wife and two small children good-bye at the elevator as they headed back to their home in Green Bay and wonder ifhe would ever see them again. Every morning he would wake up and wonder ifthis would be the day when his life would get back on track. Every night he would say his prayers—praying that he could keep going another day and that it would all be worth it. In the end, it was all worth it, but the incredibly difficult, frustrat ing, and eventually triumphant path he traveled is a story worth telling. This is Alan’s story. It is also St. Luke’s story. Alan’s life started in a regular sort ofway. Re was born into a large by ing family in Tomahawk, Wisconsin, and was raised for most ofhis child- hood in Rhinelander. When he grad- uated from high school, he joined the Navy for four years and spent three of these years in Oltinawa. He proudly points out that he spent his last year on board the USS Fiqeon, a well- St. Luke’s heart transplant recipienç, one time, Alan McCarty known submarine rescue ship out of was a “regular guy”—a Alan McCart enjoys a beautiful San Diego. He looks at the Navy as a ruggedly handsome young A highlight ofhis formative years—a fi1l day in his Green Bay backyrird man who liked to hunt, a bit cocky in wonderful training ground for the a charming sort ofway, talkative, out- with his wfr, Debbie, daughtci, rest ofins life. going, hard-working, and completely Marissa, and son, Shane. When he left the Navy and devoted to his famil) But Alan no moved back to Wisconsin, he married longer falls into the “regular guy” his wife, Debbie, and they started category because—with exceptional their life together and eventually their courage and inner strength—he has family. He had a good job at a paper survived a phenomenal experience company driving a truck and deliver- that few people will ever face. For ing paper. He enjoyed camping, The Spirit of St. Luke’s “Alan wirs near death when we implanted the Hcartliate and he recovered completely. His physica’l condition improved aiid he was t much better candidatefor au” —Alfred J. Tector, M.D., St. Luke’s cardiovascular surgeon hunting, fishing, and playing golf— admitted to St. Luke’s he was in con- and he loved cheering for the Green gesfive heart failure. His kidney, liver, Bay Packers. So far, so good—his life and other systems were starting to was on track. shut down because his heart wasn’t Then one bright summer day pumping enough blood to them. while he was playing golfhe passed Doctors told his wife that he out. He underwent tests that con- might not niake it. 7 \VIi firmed what he had already started to Debbie McCarty is as I 7 r Blood suspect—he had inherited cardiomy strong a person as her hus Blood exits enters ventricle opathy, a degenerative heart disease band. She was determined aorta that had already stricken other mern that her children would bers ofhis family Cardiomyopathy have a father as they grew causes a gradual weakening of the up, but this was a low Diaphgn heart leading to poor circulation point for her. When Dr. throughout the bodc Years before, Alfred J. Tector, the car- his mother and grandfather had died diovascular surgeon treat- I Pneumatic ofthe disease and a sister had died ing Alan, suggested that they try power source suddenly iii 1984 while she was play- an experimental ventricular assist connection ing softball as a student at the Uni device (VAD) called the HeartMate versity ofWisconsin-Stevens Point. to keep Man alive, Debbie whole- At the point ofthis dire diagno heartedly agreed. This seemed to be The HeetrtMate consists ofa device sis, his life started to change. He had ±Man’s only hope and Alan was too implctnted to switch jobs because of the physical young to die. He had a family and a in the abdomen which is exertion involved with his paper corn- future. Both Dr. Tector and Debbie connected to a pneumettic pump thett pany job so he began doing corn- felt that every measure should be steadilypumps blood around the puter work at an insurance company taken to keep him alive. He started taking heart medications The HeartMate was implanted patient’s heetrt. and was advised to take care of him- and, though Alan was very weak, the seW His doctor started discussing the surgery went well. When Alan awoke possibility of a heart transplant in the several days later he found out he was next few years. He was 29 years old being kept alive by a machine. A new with a wife, a young child, and a baby chapter had begun in Alan’s struggle on the \Tayfld he had no idea to survive. what the future held. Alan was kept alive by this mirac Still, he lived his life as well as he ulous machine for almost ten could, savoring every moment with months—longer than anyone else has his family and enjoying his friends. ever been on it at St. Luke’s, though But as several years passed, he became it has also been implanted in ten weaker and weaker. He would be other patients awaiting transplants. As hunting with friends and find himself the illustration on this page h1dicates, out of breath. Then on a camping the HeartMate consists of a device trip with his family he developed flu- implanted in the abdomen and con- like symptoms that didn’t go away nected to an outside pneumatic (air His Green Bay cardiologist referred driven) power source that steadily him to St. Luke’s Medical Center in pumps blood around the patient’s Milwaukee . By the time he was heart. The Spirit of St. Luke’s “The whole saffwas very concerned tbout the children ind me whenever we were there. I can’t stty enough about how much easier they made the whole r’3 —Debbie McCarty, wife ofAlan McCarty Diane Dressier, device do not have to be on a major RN., M.S.N., blood thinner which can cause seri St. Luke’s senior ous bleeding problems at the time of transplant coordi the transplant operation. nator, emphasizes As soon as the Hearth/late system that ventricular begins pumping, the patient’s blood assist devices such flow improves dramatically. Organs as the HeartMate such as the liver and kidneys, which are crucial to the in many cases are not working prop- survival ofmany erly, start functioning more effi patients. She says, ciendy. Later, patients on the Heart- “With today’s Mate also usually recover much more shortage of donor quickly from the transplant surgery organs, many because they were stronger going people like Alan into surgery. Diane DressIer, St. Luke’s senior would die while waiting for heart Dr. Tector says, “Alan was near transplant coordinator, met with transplants ifthere was not a way to death when we implanted the Heart- Alian on an almost daily basis while keep them alive.

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