Taking a look at a heart transplant 25 years later
ZANESVILLE, Ohio – A Zanesville resident is celebrating the 25th anniversary of his heart transplant and the life and family that it has afforded him.
Adam Burkhart was diagnosed with familial dilated cardiomyopathy at 6 years old. The condition weakens and stretches the heart muscles, dilating the heart chambers and affecting the hearts ability to pump blood. It wasn’t until Burkhart was 17 that his heart started to impact his health.
“I was playing an indoor soccer game and just could not catch my breath. I thought it was my asthma. I just kind of had that same feeling. My mother being an RN, she knew that it was something more and ended up going into the hospital after the soccer game and they said that I was in congestive heart failure,” Burkhart said. “And was in and out of the hospital, Children’s Hospital in Columbus, for a few months. And then in March of 2000 they said it’s time to get serious about a heart transplant.”
He received a heart from a registered organ donor named Matthew and this year marks the 25th anniversary of Burkhart’s transplant which is a rare milestone for transplanted hearts to reach, almost double the median survival time. During that time, he has built a career, married his best friend, and is raising three children.
“It’s amazing that because of Matthews gift that not only was I able to, you know, meet and fall in love with Adam and get married and have a family but also to have him, you know, help me raise our kids and watch them grow up,” said Kali Burkhart, Adam’s wife.
You can register as an organ donor by visiting LifelineOfOhio.org or by saying “yes” when asked by Bureau of Motor Vehicles while getting your driver’s license or state ID.
