Coleman’s Got Heart
Coleman looks and acts like an average 12-year-old kid.
“I like to ride my bike, hang out with my friends, ride my trick scooter, play soccer, boxing,” he says.
You can’t tell by looking at him that the heart that beats in his chest is not the one he was born with. Of course, that is exactly how it should be. The heart transplant he had on July 23, 2011 was a complete success.
“He hasn’t been an inpatient at CHLA since his transplant,” says his mom, Deana. “He’s had no signs of infection. He has had no rejection.”
When Coleman was just 6 weeks old, he was transported to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles for cardiomyopathy left ventricular dysfunction, a serious condition in which the muscular wall of the heart’s main pumping chamber is too weak to pump blood properly. For seven years, Coleman was treated with medication and regular visits to Alan Lewis, MD, a cardiologist at the Heart Institute. Then one day, after his family noticed he was extremely lethargic and not eating normally, Coleman collapsed. At the hospital the next morning, Lewis told the family, “It’s time for a transplant.”
Coleman was transferred to the care of JonDavid Menteer, MD, director of the Heart Failure Program. While being stabilized and treated with new medication, Coleman went through some difficult times. He suffered a cardiac arrest when an abnormal rhythm paralyzed his heart. His blood was circulated with the help of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), a heart-lung bypass system that takes over circulatory and respiratory functions, in the Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit (CTICU). Then, to provide more long-term support, doctors implanted two Berlin Heart devices, which pump blood when the heart can’t, while Coleman waited for a heart transplant.
Deana describes the night of July 22, 2011, as if it were yesterday. “Dr. Menteer told us, ‘We want the most perfect heart for Coleman, so we’re looking at maybe a three-, four-, five-month stay at CHLA.’” But the phone rang that very night at 11:05 p.m. Cynthia Herrington, MD, surgical director of the Heart Transplant Program, gave them the news: “We found a heart.”
The 7-year-old wasn’t as thrilled as everyone else about the transplant, though.
“Can we do it tomorrow? I’m scared.” He’d already been through so much in such a short period of time—this would be his third surgery in just 30 days. But his mom suggested saying a prayer … and the well-timed delivery of some Legos from his favorite nurse helped take his mind off of the impending surgery for a bit.
“He looked over at me and said, ‘I’m not scared anymore,’” says Deana.
The next day, Coleman got his new heart. Though he will always be on medication, he leads an otherwise normal life.
His family comes back every year on the anniversary of Coleman’s transplant, and at the holidays to bring gifts to families in the CTICU. Coleman is also a member of the Junior Ambassadors—a group that raises funds and awareness for the hospital—and his family has raised more than $8,000 so far this year. “When Coleman was at CHLA, the doctors, nurses and Child Life specialists treated him as if he was their own child,” says Deana. “It was that much pure love. That’s what brings us back, to see these wonderful people again.”
