Natalie Cummerow, Heart recipient

My story began in May of 1992. I had just had my third child, a healthy, beautiful boy. Two weeks after his birth, I sang at my church. I played coed softball that summer. But I started feeling very tired, and I was having trouble running the bases. I figured it was because I had three young children – they were 6, 3 and a newborn. I was teaching at Owens Community College in the optometric/ophthalmic technology program, and one day, I was grading papers in my office, and all of a sudden, I could not see the papers anymore. I went into the lab where I taught and did a visual field test on myself. The results showed that I was missing the central and upper left quadrant of my visual field. I knew that sudden vision loss could be serious – it could be caused by migraines or heart and vascular problems. I became concerned because I didn’t have a migraine. I was taken to an optometrist’s office where they found a clot in the artery of my eye. I followed up with my family doctor, who called me a few days after my appointment and told me I needed to see a cardiologist immediately because my heart was enlarged and not functioning properly. I followed doctor’s orders and saw a cardiologist. I was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy, something that was probably brought on by my last pregnancy. A virus had settled in my heat and destroyed the muscle. My heart was functioning like a 90-year-old person’s. The only cure for me was to get a heart transplant. I sat there after I got the news. I was a little taken aback, but I reflected on how awesome God is, and that He was going to use this trial in my life and in the life of those around me to bring Him glory, no matter the outcome. At that point, I put my life in his hands. I was put on the National Transplant Waiting List in March of 1994. In June of that year, I went out of town to a Christian music festival in the Akron area. I was at the concert when I heard the announcer come on the PA system and said that a hospital called and there was a heart for Natalie Cummerow and she needs to call them right away! I immediately left the concert and drove back to Toledo. I received my heart transplant on June 24, 1994. Before my transplant, I couldn’t do much. I sat around most of the time and had to have people come over and help me cook, clean and take care of my kids. I had to take a nap every day, and walking just a few feet would make me winded. Mentally, this was one of the toughest things for me because I am a very active, high-energy person. But after my transplant, I was back to being me again. I am 49 years old, and I still play coed softball. I walk without being out of breath. I play volleyball. I sing at my church. But the best gift – I was able to play with my kids again, and be a part of their lives. I have been able to watch them grow up. Now, my daughter is 23, and my sons are 20 and 17. I am so thankful that someone thought of others in their time of grief, that something good came from a tragic situation. That decision allowed me to live. Without my heart transplant, my kids would not have a mom. My parents would not have a daughter. My sisters would not have a sibling. I thank God every day for the gift of life. Watch the Public Service Announcement

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