Jessica Eastes at Texas Children's Hospital
People Magazine reported this story by Wendy Grossman Kantor, on March 12, 2025.
"Born blue due to lack of oxygen — "I looked like a Smurf," she tells PEOPLE — she was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect when she was a few days old. By the time she was 7, she'd had eight open-heart surgeries."
"Eastes was shocked to learn in fall 2021 from her doctors at
the University of Kansas Medical Center that she was experiencing heart failure
and would likely need a heart transplant. The medication she was taking had
helped for years, but she was having more issues requiring multiple hospital
stays."
"It was scary,” she says. “Being a nurse is a great
thing, because you kind of understand what they're saying to you. So they can
talk to you like normal medical jargon. But it's also a curse because you know
what to expect.”
"Her cardiologist referred her to Texas
Children’s Adult Congenital Heart Program, part of the Texas Children’s
Heart Center in Houston. Her first appointment was in May 2022."
"Jessica had a “complicated cardiac lesion,” says Dr. Edward Hickey,
surgical director of the program."
“She essentially has half a heart,” Hickey explains.
“These
are some of the most extreme transplants in terms of risk and complexity. In
all the databases and registries, this category of transplants are particularly
challenging and risky, which means that historically people have shied away
from them.”
Cardiac Nurse, 43, Gets Her Own Heart Transplant (Exclusive)
Cheers!
Donna