Name: Lisa Haney
Age: 54
Home: Detroit
Transplant: Heart
Why did you need a transplant and when did it happen?
My heart issues started as I was leaving the Army in 2017. I was doing my discharge physical, and my heart rate was extremely low. They diagnosed me with sick sinus syndrome. I received a pacemaker and, for a couple of years, everything was fine.
Then I started having sweats, weakness, feeling like I would faint, and I was seeing auras. In May 2019, the pacemaker was removed and a small device that detects and corrects arrhythmia was installed. This helped a little, but my heart steadily got worse. I was in and out of emergency rooms for a couple of years. Eventually, I was recommended for a heart transplant. I was diagnosed with ventricular tachycardia, congenital heart failure and atrial fibrillation. I received my heart transplant in 2023 at Henry Ford Hospital.
How are you doing now?
I am doing well concerning my heart. I feel fantastic. I can walk, run, climb stairs and have a lot of energy. I am grateful for that. But a consequence of the transplant is that my kidneys failed and have not returned, so I am on dialysis now. I am in the process of getting on the kidney transplant list.
Your donor’s name was Michael. What else do you know about him?
My donor family wrote me a sweet letter and told me he was a kind man who loved to help people. They said he always liked to make people laugh. They sent a picture of him sitting on a motorcycle. He was a son, brother and father.
What are the most important events or experiences you’ve been able to enjoy because Michael saved your life?
I can spend time with my family and participate in family activities. I can help my 83-year-old mother as she goes through her own health issues. I am grateful I’m still here to assist her.
If you could talk to Michael today, what would you tell him?
Thank you, Michael, for allowing me to have your heart. My family and friends thank you, too. Any good that I do from this time forward is because the Lord graced me to receive this most precious gift.
https://giftoflifemichigan.org/lifelines/lifelines-spring-2025
