() — Patrick Holland had been on the heart transplant list for a few weeks when he received a call last Thursday from the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle to say a match had been found.
The 56-year-old Alaskan man, who has congestive heart failure, was due to receive a new heart.
“It was scary news to hear that I was going to have a transplant, to be honest with you. He was terrified,” Holland told “ This Morning” on Thursday. “And then I got emotional.”
Holland rushed to the airport with his brother to catch the first flight from Fairbanks, Alaska, to Seattle only to learn that it was canceled amid a winter storm last week that affected much of the US and led to thousands of flight cancellations. flights.
Airline workers found him a place on another plane after learning of his situation, but due to winter weather, that flight was diverted to Anchorage midway through, something Holland didn’t find out until after landing, he said.
“I started to panic,” he said, “and my worst fears started to overwhelm me. Because when you hear that, you think, there’s someone donating a heart and I don’t think they can wait that long. Because the longer you wait, the faster the tissue breaks down.”
Alaska Airlines “bent over backwards to get me there,” Holland said. But several subsequent flights were also cancelled, and he told his brother: “I know I missed it, I know I did.”
Moments later, the transplant coordinator called him.
“He was calling me to tell me that they were going to give his heart to someone else.”
Patrick Holland was on the transplant list for a few weeks when he said he got a call about a donor match.
Harsh winter weather conditions have had a major impact on the Pacific Northwest in recent days. Icing caused runway closures at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, and nearly half of the flights in and out of the airport were canceled Friday, according to FlightAware.
Driving to Seattle was not an option.
Fairbanks is about 2,145 miles (3,452 kilometers) from Seattle. While a flight there usually takes about three and a half hours, driving can take about 39 hours, if you drive non-stop in optimal weather and road conditions. There are also two border checkpoints on the way.
Being on the transplant list gives Holland a chance to get a new organ. Holland said she had experienced a “massive heart attack at age 29” as well as a series of heart-related complications since then.
“Each phase requires a lot from you,” he told , adding that it impacts the way he interacts with his seven children, who range in age from 36 to 3. “Now I can’t chase them for more than 30 seconds, and then my heart starts pounding like it’s out of my chest. And then if I keep going, I’m going to get an electric shock from my defibrillator.”
Waiting for an organ transplant isn’t as simple as “taking a number and waiting your turn,” according to the organization. United Network for Organ Sharing.
“The waiting list is best described as a giant pool of patients,” the site says. “When a deceased organ donor is identified, the UNOS computer system generates a ranked list of transplant candidates who are suitable to receive each organ. UNOS matches people waiting for a life-saving transplant with organs from compatible donors.”
Organs require specific preservation methods to remain viable. For hearts and lungs, the maximum conservation time can be from four to six hours, while the kidneys can range between 24 and 36 hours, according to the organization.
Holland tried to see “the bright side of things,” he said. Someone else received a Christmas miracle, receiving the transplant that was originally intended for him, while he was able to go home and spend Christmas with his family.
“There’s a big part of me that feels like I let them down by not being in Seattle. I blame myself for that part,” he said, adding that he didn’t expect to get a call about a transplant so quickly.
Holland’s dream is to be able to keep up with her children, she told . And he’s looking forward to spending time with his wife, Haley, who has a Facebook page dedicated to her husband’s story.
“Our goal is to be more prepared for the second call,” reads a recent post on the page. “The first one arrived in two and a half weeks. The next one could come at any time, or it could be weeks or months.”
Holland says he plans to find a temporary home in Seattle so he’ll be ready once he’s called back.
For now, what keeps him going is his family, community and faith. He remains hopeful because, “in the end I know where I’m going to be no matter what.”
