From Heart Transplant to 5K

Like many teenage boys, Samuel Marshall, 16, was athletic, active and healthy. That’s why his mother, Auset, didn’t find herself overly concerned when Samuel started sniffling and sneezing in February.

Even during those first few days of what appeared to be a cold, Samuel earned his red belt in Tae Kwon Do and spent a full Saturday carrying out his lifeguard duties at a local YMCA. After that busy weekend, Samuel’s cold got worse, and his parents encouraged him to rest until he felt better.

No one could have expected what happened on the morning of February 7. When Samuel awoke, the entire left side of his body was immobile. Although Auset didn’t know what was happening, she knew things were not good.

From their home in Raleigh, they rushed to the nearest hospital, Methodist North, where everyone was shocked to learn Samuel suffered a stroke because of blood clot on the right side of his brain. An IV medication was used to dissolve the blood clots, in hopes it would allow him to regain the mobility he had lost on his left side.

Once Samuel was situated at the hospital, Auset and her husband, Rodney, went home to rest and pack clothes — expecting to stay with Samuel for a night or two. Although still rattled by this unexpected health crisis, they truly thought the worst was behind them. Then the phone rang.

Based on the Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare stroke program protocol and additional testing that had raised concerns about Samuel’s heart, a special team had been called to transport him to Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital.

Samuel was immediately admitted into the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), where his parents learned he was suffering from dilated cardiomyopathy, a condition causing his heart to enlarge. The “cold” wasn’t a cold at all. His heart was unable to pump properly, and fluid was being pushed out through his mouth and nose.

“Samuel received excellent care by the entire Methodist Le Bonheur system. The stroke medication he received at the first hospital could have very well saved his life,” says Dr. Jason Goldberg, a cardiologist with Le Bonheur’s heart transplant team.

Samuel’s situation was uncommon, as healthy 16-year-olds don’t often suffer strokes as a result of an underlying heart condition. His case was unique and brought up many questions, but decisions had to be made quickly, as Samuel’s health was rapidly declining.

He was moved to the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit (CVICU), and the next morning his heart began experiencing irregular heartbeats. Within the next two days, his health worsened as his symptoms became more intense. Episodes of freezing extremities with a burning hot body, coupled with extreme nausea, were heart-wrenching for his parents to witness.

On Saturday, February 10, Samuel began thrashing in bed and going in and out of consciousness. When the room filled with doctors, Auset said, “It’s like everyone in the room disappeared, and I just prayed over my son.”

Doctors and nurses discussed best and worst-case scenarios and gave Auset and Rodney options to consider. Throughout the entire frightening ordeal, Auset and Rodney remained grateful for how everyone at Le Bonheur included them in Samuel’s care and treatment.

During an especially dark and overwhelming moment, Dr. Umar Boston, a pediatric cardiovascular surgeon, looked at the Marshalls and said, “What we’re going to do here, is save this boy’s life.”

Although it was a terrifying reality to face, it became apparent that the worst-case scenario was upon them. Samuel needed a heart transplant to save his life.

Samuel spent time on the ECMO machine, which provides prolonged cardiac and respiratory support to patients whose heart and lungs can no longer function on their own. As he waited for the transplant, Samuel then received a left ventricular assist device (LVAD), which acts as a machine to pump his heart.

Just four days later, the family received the call that would change his life forever—a donor heart had been found.

On February 16, nine days after suffering a stroke, he received a new heart. And today, he’s training to run a 5K.

Samuel’s progress has been truly amazing. Although he hasn’t fully recovered, he seemed like he was back to his normal self just a week after his transplant operation.

“There are certainly medical factors that allow you to do well after a big medical procedure, but your will, drive and spirit are quite important as well, and he certainly has all of that,” Goldberg said.

Rehab to Racing 

In early March, Samuel first entered the physical therapy (PT) room and met his physical therapist, Sara Anderson.

“He’s already doing rehab work with boxing, bicycling and treadmills,” Goldberg said. “It’ll take him 6 months to a year to get back to a strong level of activity. With all the help he’s getting from PT sessions, he’ll be able to do whatever he wants to do athletically.”

On his first day of physical therapy, Samuel could barely walk into the PT room, but he worked so hard that in April, he was able to walk the entire Bad Dog 5K with his family by his side. With the help of Sara, his occupational therapist Kayla Wilson, and his family — including his parents and siblings, Caelan, Daniel and Zamara — he has overcome incredible odds.

“It’s amazing to see how positive his entire family is. They’re all so supportive of Samuel. Getting to know him has been wonderful and getting to know his family has been an added bonus,” Sara said.