Carson High graduate needing transplant received new heart on Labor Day
Submitted by Brett Fisher on Fri, 09/07/2018 - 4:30pm
Carson City resident Brad Bartlett, who earlier this summer had been placed on the wait list for a heart transplant while hospitalized at the University of Utah Cardiovascular Center in Salt Lake City, received his new heart on Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 3, 2018, his father Rick Bartlett said Friday.
"It’s the best possible kind of story," Rick Bartlett said.
Brad Bartlett, a 2006 Carson High School graduate, was diagnosed in January 2018 with congestive heart failure caused by a genetic mutation.
His life, as full and active as any ordinary 30 year-old, was suddenly threatened by the development of symptoms that had quickly advanced.
"Brad was able to do anything most people his age could," Rick wrote on Brad's GoFundMe page. "He had a great job, his own house, a close family, a loving girlfriend."
Brad's condition deteriorated, his heart only functioning at 20 percent and his lungs filling with fluid.
"Every breath was a struggle," Rick wrote. "Work of any kind became impossible.
"Even the simplest tasks such as mowing the lawn or taking out the garbage became arduous," Rick added. "There was no part of Brad’s life that this illness didn’t touch."
Brad was admitted to the University of Utah Cardiovascular Center shortly after being approved for the transplant in July.
Rick said admission to the hospital placed him at a critical need level, which could reduce the wait time for a new heart from 2-3 years down to 1-4 months.
"Waiting at home instead was not an option," Rick said.
Fortunately, Brad did not have to wait very long. As soon as an appropriate donor organ was identified, Brad was scheduled for the transplant surgery.
Rick said Brad is already functioning like a new man less than one week status post heart transplant surgery.
"He’s already up and around and looking forward to being discharged from the hospital in the next week or so," Rick said.
This doesn't mean Brad is out of danger, or out of the woods where his heart health is concerned.
He will need to remain in the Salt Lake City area for a minimum of six months for periodic testing and monitoring of his condition, Rick wrote, and around-the-clock care will be reqiured or the first four to six weeks after surgery.
"Once Brad’s condition is stable, he’ll be able to return to his home in Nevada for further recovery," Rick wrote.
Brad will have to stay on regular doses of anti-rejection medication for the rest of his life, Rick wrote, to reduce the risk of the transplanted heart from being rejected by the body.
Despite the challenges that his son still faces with a new heart, Rick said Brad has been touched by the outpouring of support he and his family have received through his health ordeal.
"Brad would like to express his deepest appreciation for the good wishes and support he’s received from all over the Carson area," Rick said. "Brad has a lot of people in the Carson area pulling for him."
Visit Brad's GoFundMe page if you would like to donate to help the family cover the costs of his care.
