HOUSTON — When Ronnie Slovacek learned his heart was failing, he was devastated.
Five family members - his grandmother, mother, father, aunt, and sister - all died from congestive heart failure.
“I just couldn’t believe it. My cardiologist told me when I started having trouble breathing, there’s going to come a time when you’ll need a heart transplant,” he said.
He and his wife Cindy spent 77 days at Memorial Hermann Hospital waiting for a transplant.
His new heart arrived on September 26, which is a date that holds a lot of significance for the family.
“It was a blessing from heaven. My heart came on my mother’s birthday. I have to say that was a gift from her. She watched down on us. She had passed away with congestive heart failure and I feel like she was there to give me this heart,” said Ronnie.
His doctor says his family history of heart failure is likely genetic, which is something others can learn from.
“I think prevention is better than cure. You have to be proactive and if your family members have heart disease, you have to go get checked,” said Dr. Sriram Nathan, UTHealth Houston/Memorial Hermann.
Now Ronnie is taking full advantage of his second chance at life thanks to his doctors, his donor, and his guardian angel.
“She was super mom. She loved her family so much. That’s why I figured she brought this in to keep us healthy and keep us going,” said Ronnie.