(Here is the article that was on the cover of The Liberty Journal)
Bristol woman gets a new heart in Sept. 14 transplant at Shands
September 24, 2010
by Teresa Eubanks, Journal Editor
When she was admitted to Shands to begin a regime of pre-transplant medication, 27-year-old Ramsey Brown of Bristol expected to remain in Gainesville for many weeks as she waited for a donor heart.
Just seven days later, she was being rushed into surgery.
“We got a phone call about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 14,” said Ramsey’s mother, Teresa Hamlin of Wilma. “They apparently just got a notice that a match became available for her blood type and size.”
By 7 p.m., she was in the operating room. “They opened her chest up and got her old heart out,” her mother said. “We were actually sitting in the waiting room at 10:30 p.m. when Ramsey’s doctor and several others came rushing by us with a cooler on wheels. I realized that must be her heart.”
An hour later, Hamlin asked for an update on her daughter’s surgery and was told the new heart was in. “They said it would be a few hours before they closed her up to be sure everything was working ok,” her mother said.
“About 1:30 a.m. they finally called us and told us everything was good,” she said. By 4:30 a.m. Wednesday, Hamlin was able to see her daughter in the intensive care unit. Later that day, “The ventilator came out and she was breathing on her own.”
Earlier this week, Hamlin said, “She continues every day to get better and better. She is off all intravenous medications and taking everything orally. Everybody
says she’s doing extremely well.”
* * * * *
By Thursday morning, Ramsey was sitting up.
“They would only get me up in small increments,” Ramsey said. “It wasn’t until late Thursday afternoon that I started remembering people and staying alert.”
Although hooked up to several monitors, Ramsey has already started physical therapy. “They make use her arms, do squats, leg lifts and walk,” her mother said. “After they remove her last drainage tube, they will start letting her walk on a treadmill. It amazes me.”
This past Monday morning, Ramsey had a little time to herself, alone in her hospital room, when “It hit me,” she said. “I have a new heart. I’m very excited to see what this heart has for me.”
That day, she shared her joy on her Facebook page, telling the world, “I finally have a new strong heart! Thank you, God, and to my organ donor, for what is going to be a new and fabulous life!”
She doesn’t know who or where the heart came from, but hopes to find out by following hospital procedure, which includes submitting a letter to the donor family. If they agree, they will communicate with her. She may also meet her donor’s doctor. “The only thing we know is that one of the nurses told Ramsey the heart didn’t come from very far away,” her mother said.
After she is able to move to a hospital room, she will remain there for about a week. She will then have to stay in Gainesville for four to six weeks so doctors can do regular checks on her along with weekly biopsies of her heart to ensure its not being rejected.
She and her mother will stay at a friend’s home nine miles from the hospital. They will fill the time relaxing, walking, watching movies and plan a visit to a Butterfly Garden.
* * * * *
Only two weeks after her birth, Ramsey was diagnosed with a congestive heart defect. She wasn’t expected to live past
Ramsey is shown in the intensive care unit at Shands following last week’s heart transplant.
The age of five, but about that time she had a heart bypass following care by a doctor studying a rare type of cardiomyopathy that could be surgically improved.
That surgery allowed her to enjoy an active, healthy life. She was a cheerleader and marched with the Liberty County High School Band, playing flute. She also studied dance.
In August of 2006, a leak in a heart valve was discovered. By 2008, the left side of her heart was functioning at 25 percent. About a year ago, she was diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension and congestive heart failure and the process began to get her on the list for a heart transplant.
* * * * *
Ramsey is looking forward to the day she can come home to Bristol and join her mother for the daily commute to their jobs in Tallahassee. Her future plans include finishing her last semester of college to get her bachelor’s degree in political science; then she plans to pursue her master’s. “But I kind of have taken a turn…I may want to go to nursing school,” she said. Her recent experiences “have opened my eyes,” she said. “I’ve very passionate about everything that’s happened to me. If I worked in cardiology, it would be so meaningful in my life.”
Once she’s back home, Ramsey plans to get involved in two causes: promoting blood and organ donation. “It’s so important for people to be blood donors as well as organ donors,” she said, explaining, “Even though the heart saved my life, the blood I donated made me feel so much better after the surgery.” She would like to help everyone know how important both can be.
Those who would like to communicate with Ramsey can find her on Facebook or write her at Ramsey Brown, 12905 NW Central Ave., Bristol, Florida. Her grandmother gets her mail to her regularly.
A fundraiser to help with her many expenses is planned this weekend in Bristol at Strickland’s Ace Hardware, where a chili cookoff will be held on Saturday, Oct. 2 during their Third Annual Hunting Expo
