Heartfelt gratitude for a second chance at life
DONERIK BLACK HAS A STORY TO TELL.
For years, Donerik watched his father, Don, suffer from diabetes. Dialysis was physically and emotionally draining, and it took a toll on his kidneys. “I don’t know if he asked me in jest or if he was serious, but he said, ‘If I needed a transplant, would you donate to me?’ I didn’t even think twice, and I said ‘Sure, Dad,’” Donerik said.
In 2006, that casual agreement became a reality when Donerik donated a kidney to his father, gifting him with 14 additional years of life. “I was blessed to have him around as a business partner, a father, and a hero,” Donerik said.
Living donation started Donerik on a path of regular checkups. About three years after his donation and during one of those checkups, it was discovered that one of Donerik’s heart valves was leaking, and by the next appointment, it migrated to “full-on mitral valve regurgitation,” making breathing extremely difficult. “They had to pump so much fluid out of my lungs. My doctor said it was a good thing I didn’t fall asleep because I could have suffocated,” Donerik said.
Donerik had a mitral valve ablation, which was supposed to be an outpatient procedure. During surgery, Donerik coded and doctors performed CPR for 45 minutes and shocked his heart 70 times. Afterward, Donerik’s already declining health took a cliff dive.
Donerik was constantly exhausted. Seemingly simple tasks like bending over to tie his shoes or putting air in his tires made him feel like he was going to pass out. Fluid retention in his feet and ankles caused him to cut the bottoms of every pair of dress pants and go up a shoe size to accommodate the swelling. And his fingers became too swollen to wear his wedding ring.
Donerik was suffering from cardiomyopathy and congestive heart failure, and he was in desperate need of a heart transplant. He was put on the national transplant waiting list in October 2014, and two months later, Donerik “moved in” to the Cleveland Clinic intensive care unit. “You think you’re invincible sometimes and you’ve got life figured out and you’re busy and doing your thing, but when they tell you that you might not live, that becomes your priority,” he said.
Donerik was on the phone with his wife, Angie, when several nurses gathered around his bed and said they wanted to wish him a happy birthday, which was two days away. Then, one of his doctors came in and said they had a surprise for him. “If you’re on a cardiac diet, you know the food sucks, so I would beg for macaroni and cheese or anything with some taste to it. So, I really thought my doctor was going to produce a nice, hot bowl of macaroni and cheese for my birthday,” he said.
It was not macaroni and cheese. It was a heart. “I remember sitting there like, ‘Oh, this is really happening! If I make it, I’m going to have a great story to tell,’” Donerik said.
Donerik received a life-saving heart transplant on February 26, 2015—the day before his 45th birthday. “I remember waking up and saying to myself, ‘Dude, you’re alive! Your awesome life starts now!’” he said.
A month later, Donerik returned home, and he flipped through one of his medical record binders. “After I coded, the doctor’s note said, ‘Unfortunately, this patient is unsalvageable.’ Reading that, I remember smirking and saying to myself, ‘I’m still here, and I’m going to be awesome,’” Donerik said. “It’s because of Life Connection of Ohio that I was salvageable.”
More than salvageable, Donerik is incredibly active. He enjoys BMX racing and working out. He loves cheering on The Ohio State Buckeyes, and he appreciates being able to “walk around the huge stadium and climb stairs for days.” “I think of the man who donated his heart to me daily. I think about him most when I am doing something that I thought I would never be able to do again. If it wasn’t for that man’s selfless decision to be a donor, I wouldn’t be here today,” Donerik said. “Every day that I wake up, it’s a win, and being able to enjoy life is amazing.”
Donerik’s transplant has given him the opportunity to spend more time with his family, including Angie and his daughter, Taylor. Being alive to witness milestones—like watching Taylor graduate from high school— fuels Donerik’s passion for spreading the word about organ donation. “I need to be an ambassador for organ donation, especially when I look at the numbers and see that African Americans are disproportionately affected. I have a responsibility to engage, educate, and inform people, and give them a call to action,” Donerik said.
Every day, Donerik is grateful to his donor hero and his donor family, who entrusted him with the most precious gift. “If I had the chance to meet my donor’s wife or children, I would say that I am going to take care of this heart and do everything I can do to honor the legacy that is your husband and your father,” he said. “From the bottom of my brandnew heart, thank you, thank you, a million times thank you.”
Donerik and his family volunteer for Life Connection of Ohio, the non-profit organization that serves families and saves lives through organ donation. To learn more about organ donation or to register as a donor, visit lifeconnection.org.
Kara Steele is Director of Community Services for Life Connection of Ohio.
