And in the midst of these dog days, comes news to put a smile on our collective face. Reaffirm our belief in the human spirit. Give us the kind hope we all so desperately need to sustain us.
Kylie Logsdon received the one thing no living person could give her.
The 23-year-old single mother went on the operating table sometime before 1 a.m. Wednesday at the University of Chicago Hospital to undergo heart transplant surgery. As of Thursday morning, she was sitting up and resting.
For those of you not familiar with the story, Kylie’s world was turned upside down Oct. 4, 2010. That’s the day she was diagnosed with postpartum cardiomyopathy — a deterioration in heart function that manifests in a mother between the last month of pregnancy and up to five months after the birth of a child.
No one is certain what triggers postpartum cardiomyopathy. It could be a virus or infection or even some form of allergic reaction. But doctors know onset of the condition initiates an inflammatory process in the heart. The inflammation damages cells in the heart muscle, which die and become scar tissue. Since scar tissue cannot contract, the heart’s ability to pump blood is greatly diminished.
Her son Devin was just 5 months old at the time of the diagnosis. The doctors told Kylie that if she had any hopes of raising her child, she needed a heart transplant.
Earlier this year Kylie was bumped up from 1B to 1A on the transplant list. No heart was available. She fell off the 1A list for a short time. Then she was reinstated.
Finally, the call Kylie and her family awaited came at around 1:15 p.m. Tuesday.
“We were at home in Gerlaw,” Kathy Logsdon, Kylie’s mother, said in phone interview Thursday morning. “The call came and, at first, it was panic mode. I called Dave (Kylie’s father) and we lined up the flight with Jet Air. We had to find a family member to take care of Devin.
“Jet Air was just great. We can’t thank them enough. We left Galesburg at around 3 p.m. I would say we all experienced a range of emotions.”
The plane reached Chicago around 3:45 p.m. and an ambulance transported Kylie to University of Chicago Hospital. After a delay receiving the heart, she went into surgery at 12:30 a.m. Wednesday.
“Kylie gave us all hugs and kisses, told us she loved us,” Kathy said. “She told us to tell Devin that she loved him. We didn’t know if it would be the last time we got a chance to talk to her.
“It was very emotional time for all of us.”
The surgery continued after the sun rose Wednesday morning and many folks started their workdays back in Knox and Warren counties.
“Kylie’s breathing tube is out and after some therapy, she is sitting up,” Kathy said. “She is sore, but all in all she is OK. The first thing she said after surgery was ‘I hurt.’
“But they are hoping that after three days in (the intensive care unit) she can be in her own room.”
Kylie’s mother said her daughter’s chances of survival “seem pretty good right now.”
“The surgeon was happy with the way things went,” Kathy said. “It was a very good heart. They said all of her numbers look good so far.
“We are just hoping and praying right now.”
Kathy said Kylie isn’t the only person the Logsdon family and friends have included in those prayers.
“We are praying for the donor and praying for the donor’s family right now,” Kathy said. “We can’t imagine how hard it must be for the donor’s family. Some family has lost a loved one. Some family is dealing with grief while we are filled with hope.”
Kathy Logsdon wanted folks to know Kylie got a heart and fighting chance to survive and raise her child. The Logsdon family also wants you to know an anonymous person made that chance possible.
That stranger elected to become an organ donor.
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