2016 Mason A. Sommers
MASON A. SOMMERS
Heart Recipient
Age 59 ~ Los Angeles, CA
Psychologist
Honored by onelegacy.org
Mason survived his first cardiac arrest at 16. Four years later, after suffering a second cardiac arrest, it was discovered that he had a heart defect. With medication, Mason was able to successfully manage his condition for thirty years. However, when he was put on a pacemaker at the age of fifty, he slowly began to suffer from progressive congestive heart failure. He was told he needed a heart transplant. On April 8, 2010 at 11:45pm Mason received the phone call that there was a heart available for him. When he awoke in his own home on April 18, Mason celebrated his 54th birthday, his new heart, and the young man who saved his life. On Sunday November 15, 2015, Mason was able to marry his partner of 19 years!
Mason’s Story
I am an LA native. An un-diagnosed congenital heart defect caused cardiac arrests at ages 16, and 20. With medication, my condition was well managed for the next 30 years. At 50, I received an implantable pacemaker/defibrillator as prophyllaxis. However, within a year, I began to slow down. For two years, I suffered from progressive Congestive Heart Failure which made breathing and mobility increasingly difficult. I became bloated, and my kidneys and other organs were having difficulty functioning as well. On two occasions, I lost consciousness.
In the fall of 2009, I was told I needed a heart transplant. I was fearful. I had managed up to that point, and continued to do whatever I could to better my own health. On November 22, 2009, I collapsed and was rushed to UCLA emergency. I arrived unconscious, and was resuscitated over the next 45 minutes. I had multiple organ failure, and was put on a Bi-Ventricular Assist Device (BiVAD), dialysis, and other life-saving machinery. The prognosis was quite poor.
During four months in Intensive Care, my organs began to recover…except for my heart. I was listed to receive a new heart in early January, 2010. Having multiple blood transfusions, high levels of antibodies, and a rare blood type, finding a donor match was difficult.
In mid-February, I was sent home on a portable BiVAD. Many friends and family came to my aid supporting me and my family. My device, though life-saving, increased the likelihood of blood clots so it was urgent that I receive a new heart or suffer the possibility of a stroke.
On April 8, at 11:45 PM, the phone rang. “We have a heart for you” said Stephanie, the transplant coordinator. A young man had suffered irreversible brain damage in an auto accident. I would become the custodian of his heart. I awakened on the morning of April 10, 2010 with my new heart. On April 18, I awakened at home on my 54th birthday. I am forever grateful to this young man who saved my life. He is loved and respected by people he will never know.