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Transplant candidate has upbeat attitude
By CAROLYN HOPKINS © St. Petersburg Times, published October 31, 2000 ELFERS -- Barbara Sawyer, 65, keeps an upbeat attitude. She has been on a waiting list for a heart transplant since last winter and says she has been "ready" since last spring. Long before she knew she needed a transplant, she applied for an organ donor card and encouraged her daughter to do so. "I hope everyone will get a donor card and keep it with them," she said. "The organ you might donate may help one of your loved ones. "I haven't seen it, but I understand there is a bumper sticker that says, "Don't take your organs to heaven, God knows we need them here.' "I know there are many people that are against being donors for various reasons, and I understand this, but many that are potential donors just haven't taken the time to get a card. Tragedies are a part of life, but through organ transplants miracles can happen." She says she doesn't allow herself to become depressed. "You focus on the positive and realize that doctors are having much more success with transplants now and with anti-rejection medicines. There is a heart transplant waiting room at Tampa General, and the patients you meet there are very encouraging. Everyone says they are glad they had it done, even with problems they have had with side effects." Sawyer said about 10 years ago she learned she had dilated cardiomyopathy, an enlarged weak heart. She had gone for a regular physical checkup, and the doctor told her she needed to see a heart specialist. "That got my attention real quick," she recalled. The diagnosis came as a surprise; she had never had any heart problems. It is believed the condition is the result of rheumatic fever when she was young that was never diagnosed. When she learned about her heart condition, Sawyer owned and operated the Storybook Schoolhouse in Elfers for children 2 through prekindergarten. She operated the school for 24 years until she retired. A mother of two children at the school was a nurse and encouraged Sawyer to fight her condition. Under her cardiologist's supervision, she began walking every day and lost about 40 pounds. "My heart reacted, and I held my own for quite awhile. I am still trying to help myself," she said. Three days a week she attends two exercise classes, at the New Port Richey Recreation Center and at Elfers Senior Center. She gets the necessary exercise to help her heart and support from her exercise buddies. George, her husband of 47 years, is her chief supporter, along with their son, George T., and daughter, Joan Lamb, and four grandchildren, all of Elfers. She and her husband walk at Gulfview Mall every Sunday and at the Anclote Gulf Park, Anclote River Park and Key Vista Park. They walk in the early evening and watch the sunset. "My husband encourages but never pushes," Sawyer said. She has a hint for those who need to exercise and don't. "I walk up and down the aisles without a cart at Sam's Club and other grocery stores while I eyeball things, before getting a cart. This is the best way to walk in hot or cold weather without going to the mall." As a candidate for a transplant, she needs to be in prime physical condition in order to fight rejection of a new heart. She has regular checkups at Tampa General Hospital, including heart catheterizations and stress tests, and she has a defibrillator with a pacemaker. "My health is pretty good right now," she said, "but ongoing problems are shortness of breath and exhaustion." Gardening was her big hobby, and she belonged to five garden clubs until last year. "Now I can't take the heat," she said, "and I have to stay out of the sun because of medications. I'm not really depressed over it, but it is a downer." Waiting for a transplant is "a lot like being pregnant," she said. "You are waiting and hopeful, your bag is packed, but you just don't know when you will get the call."
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From the Times Seniority pages |
