Episode 56: A Heart Transplant Recipient Is On A Mission To Educate Her Community About Heart Health, With Sandra Wright

This Thing Called Life

On this episode of This Thing Called Life, host Andi Johnson is talking with Sandra Wright. She has a special testimony to share. The goal of this podcast is to help listeners understand what organ donation is and isn’t and how it truly impacts others. February is Black History Month and American Heart Month. Sandra is a transplant survivor and the founder of The Greater Cincinnati African American Heart Association. Tune in now for her special story!

Episode Highlights:

• Sandra is a heart transplant recipient. In 2014, she contracted a virus that was never named but lingered and left her with a side effect of shortness of breath. Later that year, she was on vacation when it all kind of climaxed.
• She shares her story of going to the hospital and the dire state she was in. She was told she had Heart Failure but she went into immediate denial. She cautions the listeners against denial because then you don’t do what you need to do.
• There will be a book coming out to tell Sandra’s full story in the future to help many.
• Christ Hospital in Cincinnati set her on the path of her life being saved.
• Prior to Sandra’s visit at Christ Hospital, every two months she would go for maintenance care to control the edema but other than that she wouldn’t take the medicine or change her lifestyle until 2017 when her heart would no longer serve her.
• Sandra shares how her faith got her through the scary time of being in need of a heart.
• The Greater Cincinnati African American Heart Association was created by Sandra to help provide others support, to create a community where they feel respected, heard, and understood. She shares about the services and her vision for down the road.
• For those who hear they have CFH, Congestive Heart Failure, that is all they are going to think about and can come unexpectedly and at vulnerable times.
• Andi shares how the healthcare system is not accessible for all and how detrimental it is for many, especially people of color.
• Sandra shares a sad story of talking with her granddaughter who said she ‘hated being black’ and how that ideology fuels her heart and mission to create an environment of support for the African American Community.
• Andi asks Sandra to share any encouraging thing she is experiencing or new strength she sees in the community.
• Andi reminds listeners that today, 106,494 people are waiting for life saving organ transplants and more than 3,400 need heart transplants. Can you think about your decision to be a donor and save a life?

3 Key Points:

• Sandra shares a shocking story of her journey with heart failure and the danger of being in denial of the diagnosis.
• The African American community is at the highest risk and has the greatest fatality which led Sandra to create The Greater Cincinnati African American Heart Association as a community of support.
• Sandra shares that living 65 years in this world, we are beginning to understand the necessity of working together and supporting each other and that is encouraging and exciting.

Resources Mentioned:

• LifeCenter | Website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube| Twitter
• Andi Johnson website |LinkedIn
• Organ Donation Website
• Sandra Wright |[e-mail] |513-484-4772
• The Greater Cincinnati African American Heart Association