After the green lights were turned on to honor Donner Hero and her husband, Jim, at Dogtown, Andrea Cunningham of Nixa spoke with Annie Krall of 5 On Your Side.
ST. LOUIS — The green lights were turned on in Dogtown this week to commemorate the life-saving gift of a heart transplant and the Missouri husband whose life it saved after years of heart failure.
5 On Your Side's Annie Krall spoke with Andrea Cunningham, wife of Jim Cunningham, less than 72 hours after his near-death break gave him a new lease on life.
On Tuesday, Jim and Andrea drove nearly four hours from their home in Nixa to St. Louis in hopes of receiving a very important phone call.
“It was raining that day,” Andrea said, “and the traffic was terrible. It was taking 10 times longer to do anything. But I made it there on Tuesday evening, when the news came through that my son had had a heart transplant.”
Andrea, a retired UPS driver, said she had looked pale and gray in the days leading up to it.
Getting Care at BJC Healthcare Dr. Amanda Verma, Dr. Gregory Ewald and Dr. Justin Hartupi Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis Cardiovascular Division A few weeks before the operation, Andrea went in with the hopes that it would improve her husband's heart failure, which she says began around 2016.
“How would this conversation be different if Jim had never had his transplant?” Krall asked.
“I truly believe that if he hadn't been given this opportunity, he wouldn't be here,” Andrea said.
His life was saved thanks to surgery performed early Thursday morning at BJC Healthcare with the help of a cardiothoracic surgeon. Dr. Amit Pawale and Dr. Muhammad Massoud With doctors from the University of Washington.
The procedure was commemorated this week with a “Light It Green” event. Family home Together with Dogtown and other facilities across the country, we celebrated Jim's milestone and paid tribute to the donor's heart that now beats inside his chest.
“You know somebody else is losing somebody,” Andrea said, “I know it's hard. I pray for that family. I pray that they find peace and comfort. But what they've done is given my husband a new life.”
Kevin Lee Migration from Central America They house hundreds of loved ones recovering in St. Louis. 800 organ transplants Last year, outbreaks occurred in Missouri, southern Illinois and northeastern Arkansas.
“What's impressive to me about Jim and Andrea's story is that he was able to receive a life-saving heart transplant within 30 days of being enrolled,” Lee said.
About 220 families have stayed at the Family House on Lloyd Street since it was expanded in June 2022. The Cunninghams plan to stay there for about a month while the gym recovers, ensuring they have a private space rather than communal living.
The family now looks forward to seeing how this new heart will help their son's new life.
“My daughter is dating someone and she knows he's going to walk her down the aisle,” Andrea said of her daughter, Ashlyn. “He's going to be there right now for everything that's going on in her life.”
Andrea and Jim also have an 18-year-old son, Jack, who is a high school senior in Nixa.
According to Mid-America Transplant, 17 Americans die every day while waiting for an organ transplant.
BJC Healthcare says more than 115,000 people in the U.S. are waiting for organ donations, and emphasizes that one organ donor can save up to eight lives and improve the quality of life of up to 75 others.
To learn more about becoming a donor, visit the BJC Organ Donation website. click here.
