He hopes, sometime quickly, to rejoice with folks he considers actually particular visitors: The College of Nebraska Medical Middle crew that cared for him throughout his life-and-death battle, then gave him that new coronary heart.

For the 68-year-old Vrbicky, a Norfolk obstetrician-gynecologist who’s delivered greater than 13,000 infants, residing with a pre-owned coronary heart is a present though it doesn’t even include a restricted lifetime guarantee.

There’s no such factor as a typical coronary heart transplant story. When the doctor who practiced what he preached by biking, strolling, enjoying his trumpet and consuming proper developed fatigue in early September 2021, he received himself checked out. Exams revealed a stunning analysis: acute coronary heart failure. Shock turned to concern when inside weeks a transplant grew to become his final resort. His case grew to become one for the medical journals.

The perpetrator: big cell myocarditis, a uncommon cardiac dysfunction.

Quickly after being hospitalized he was placed on a machine to pump his blood and assist his coronary heart and lungs.

Medical doctors fought to maintain his different organs from failing, lastly stabilizing Vrbicky sufficient to checklist him for transplant.

For the transplant to occur, a match wanted to be discovered inside 48 hours. A coronary heart that matched was procured after solely 12.

Then got here the hours-long surgical procedure that began late Sept. 24, 2021, and ended the subsequent morning.

After days in intensive care, Vrbicky had misplaced 25 kilos. He wanted a number of ache and anti-rejection medication.

At first he couldn’t get away from bed with out assist. He began taking steps with a harness, a walker and a bodily therapist at his facet. Then he made it across the nurses’ station unassisted. Then he climbed a brief set of stairs, and stood alone within the bathe for the primary time.

His motivation: Resuming his life and his life’s work.

He returned dwelling in early November. For months his vitals had been carefully monitored. Progress proved sluggish however regular.

He gained muscle energy. He gained endurance. He started to have the ability to keep up later than 8 p.m.

Dwelling with somebody’s else’s coronary heart, he stated, “may be very humbling.”

“Day by day I pray for the donor and their household,” he stated. “I thank them and God that for some motive this little miracle occurred that I might get a coronary heart so quick. … I don’t take it with no consideration one second of any day.”

He follows the identical Mediterranean weight-reduction plan as he did earlier than his coronary heart transplant.

To construct his stamina he rides his bicycle every single day and takes two-mile walks. He lifts weights to take care of upper-body energy.

Karyn Vrbicky, his spouse of 44 years and the mom of their six grownup youngsters, usually joins him on walks.

“His largest concern was that they (docs) had been going to inform him he couldn’t do any extra deliveries or surgical procedures,” she stated, “as a result of he feels his goal on this Earth is to assist folks.

“He was pushed … to get again to serving to folks and caring for his sufferers. He was, like, ‘I’m not performed but.’”

Solely 4 months after Vrbicky received a brand new coronary heart, he returned to training medication.

Many early affected person encounters began with hugs and tears. Sufferers advised him that that they had prayed for his restoration.

At first Vrbicky labored part-time. He’s now again at an almost full slate. Meaning a mean of 26 deliveries monthly of infants that come in any respect hours.

Earlier this month, he handed a two-day transplant verify up on the Med Middle.

He believes he couldn’t have come this far with out the suitable mindset. “Our psychological, emotional well-being have an incredible quantity of therapeutic energy if we strategy issues in the suitable way of thinking,” he stated.

The household’s post-transplant celebrations of Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter took on extra which means than typical. “There was numerous crying,” he stated.

The latest marriage of his youngest baby, Michaela, reminded him of what he got here near lacking. He’s excited to look at his grandchildren develop.

Vrbicky doesn’t need you to consider that his restoration has been good.

“I get just a little bit upset at myself for often feeling sorry for myself. I used to be residing a wholesome life-style, doing all the things proper, so why did this occur to me?” he stated. “However then I remind myself, ‘Hey, you’re sort of residing on borrowed time, simply be grateful, glide, it’s in God’s arms.’”

He additionally reminds himself that his coronary heart transplant has made him a greater physician. He’s extra capable of see issues from a affected person’s standpoint.

Vrbicky’s optimistic outlook isn’t the one issue that has helped him reside efficiently with a brand new coronary heart.

His wonderful bodily well being previous his catastrophic coronary heart failure meant his different very important organs had been in good condition going into the transplant.

“Had I been chubby, a smoker or suffered from hypertension or diabetes, the probabilities of survival change considerably,” he stated.

Make no mistake: Vrbicky and his new coronary heart won’t ever be utterly within the clear.

A UNMC post-transplant coordinator is assigned to him for all times to supply assist. Catching issues early is essential.

Each two weeks, Vrbicky will get a blood take a look at that checks for any signal his system is rejecting his new coronary heart — the primary threat for transplant recipients.

To protect towards rejection, recipients take a routine of immunosuppressants that render the physique extra weak to an infection, and a cocktail of different meds.

At one level, he was taking 16 totally different medicines and dietary supplements.

A few of these have uncomfortable side effects that require dosage changes. Two gave Vrbicky tremors. Others might doubtlessly elevate his threat of hypertension and excessive ldl cholesterol, most cancers and diabetes.

And there have been horrifying moments. At one level he went in for a routine blood take a look at used to find out if the immune system is rejecting an organ. His Allomap ranges had been up.

“What you assume instantly is, ‘Oh, man, I’m beginning to reject this factor.’ I used to be on cruise management and all of a sudden my anxiousness went approach up, particularly once they stated, ‘We would like you to come back by for a coronary heart biopsy.’”

He nervously waited days for the reply. He didn’t wish to reply the cellphone when UNMC referred to as, however he did. It was a false optimistic.

“I name it the anxiousness of steady testing,” he stated. “Ready for outcomes, worrying they’re going to be an issue.”

Vrbicky now shares his story along with his sufferers. He works with the state’s organ procurement group, Stay On Nebraska, to lift consciousness in regards to the significance of organ and tissue donation.

In a latest presentation to northeast Nebraska physicians, he promoted the world-class transplantation services at UNMC and the function suppliers play in encouraging sufferers to be donors. He additionally reminded physicians to always remind sufferers that their life make a distinction — that being in any other case wholesome can assist them survive main points.

“As well being care professionals we have to share that with our sufferers as a result of that’s why we’re right here — to enhance sufferers’ well being and stop illness,” he stated.

As for his personal progress: “I simply wish to get again to the place I used to be — and to be trustworthy I’m getting near that now,” he stated in July.

Since then he’s walked his daughter down the aisle and danced at her wedding ceremony reception. He’s as soon as once more bending notes on the trumpet. He’s delivering infants within the wee hours. He and Karyn are planning a visit to holy websites in Israel. He’s looking forward to his son, Dr. Keith Vrbicky Jr., to affix him in follow subsequent spring, one other expertise he nearly missed.

“I’m simply grateful to be alive,” Vrbicky stated. “To be again having fun with household and work.”

The Flatwater Free Press is Nebraska’s first impartial, nonprofit newsroom targeted on investigations and have tales that matter.