WACO, Texas (KWTX) – A beloved Central Texas mom is recovering after receiving a life saving heart transplant following 84 days in ICU, and thanks to her progress Katie Russell, 32, of Waco, could finally be going home this week.
Katie received her new heart during a surgery which lasted around eight hours and finished Christmas Eve morning at Baylor Scott & White in Temple.
Katie has been in the cardiothoracic ICU since October 21 diagnosed with non-ischemic cardiomyopathy, congestive heart failure and left bundle branch block.
She had to have a new heart to survive and has waited with no timeline of promise that heart would come in time.
Her family called the gift of her heart “a Christmas miracle.”
“We want to say thank you for everything you’ve done for our family when it comes to visits, prayers and donations, and we are so thankful for you,” Katie said in a video from her hospital bed next to her husband, Derek. ” I’m doing really well.”
Katie’s nightmare started in early June when the young mom of two experienced flu-like symptoms.
Her dad, Mark, took her blood pressure and when it was low, Katie went to a local emergency room.
After testing at Premiere ER, Dr. Jason Bryant delivered the news that shocked her, devastated her, but also potentially saved her life.
“It’s one of those kinds of Lifetime movies where he sits down and he’s like ‘well I need to tell you . I think you’re in heart failure’ and that’s when the panic really sets in. I’m 32, and I’m a mom and I work full time. There’s no way, he’s got to be mistaken,” Katie said.
Katie tried medications and treatments at home, but by Mid October, she was passing out and in need of more assistance.
Katie had another device surgically implanted called an Impella 5.5 which is a heart pump that perfuses blood throughout her body.
She’s been in the hospital ever since needing a new heart to survive.
“There’s no timeline,” Katie told KWTX in November. “It’s just whenever it comes.”
Katie’s mom, Robin Mitchell, said Katie got word of the match on December 22nd and her family immediately began to pray.
“Prayers began at that time for the donor family, for the loss of their family member, the transport teams and their safety and prayers for the entire medical staff as the surgery can be eight to 10 hours in length,” Robin said.
Katie had a successful surgery but within a day, she’d suffered a major stroke which left her with her face drooping, slurred speech, no feeling in her left arm, her left hand locked in a fist and scattered feeling in her leg.
“The deficiencies were very pronounced,” Robin said.
It was the third stroke Katie had suffered but the first post-surgery and the worst one.
Katie has since shown great improvement as she’s regaining feeling and movement.
“My speech is coming back thankfully,” Katie said. “And so everything is going well and all of my doctors are very, very pleased.”
Katie’s heart failure team came by Wednesday morning and said they hoped to release Katie home on Thursday.
Wednesday was her first day out of the ICU in Temple.
Katie and her family say they are forever grateful to her donor and their family.
When Katie returns home after months away, her family has big plans to celebrate a belated Christmas together thanking God this New Year for the gift of life.
“It’s really neat to be able to feel my heart beating in my chest,” Katie said. “It’s really, really cool to get to feel that.”
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