Morning can't come soon enough for Tom Arcara. Less than a year ago, the Spencerport man was on the verge of never witnessing another sunrise. Now, he is loving each day and relishing the opportunity to give back to the hospital that made today possible. Tom is a heart transplant survivor and he and his wife, Chris, have become huge advocates for Strong Memorial Hospital and the staff that they say saved his life. On June 3, the thankful couple will be hosting "And the BEAT goes on" at the Burgundy Basin Inn, an event which will include live bands, raffles and a buffet style barbecue. The "beat" refers to Tom's new heart and to his role as a drummer in one of the event's featured bands. The day the music (nearly) died In August 2005, Tom had a problem. There was something wrong in his new home. When he and Nick White, a contractor who helped build the home, lifted up a pump to see if they could figure out what was going on, something went horribly wrong for Tom. Not feeling well, he went up the stairs to the kitchen. Once he got to the kitchen his discomfort intensified and he got up to go out on the deck to get some fresh air. Just a few paces toward the sliding door, Tom collapsed into White's arms. He was having a massive heart attack. Without White and Ken Brongo, the home builder who arrived seconds later, Tom would have died on his kitchen floor. Instead the 51-year-old was quickly placed in an ambulance headed for Strong Memorial Hospital. Tom remained conscious for the duration of the ambulance ride. He was not surprised by the revelation that he had had a heart attack. His family has a history of heart problems. Tom wasn't surprised and he wasn't worried. "That is the weird part," Tom said. "I was so confident that I would be okay." Tom's confidence in his recovery far surpassed that of the nurses and doctors who were waiting for him when he came off the ambulance. When his wife, Chris, arrived at the hospital, she was greeted with the ominous news that "he was sick, very sick." At one point, a doctor encouraged her to go in and see Tom. Now, she realizes that was supposed to be her chance to say goodbye. "I said, 'Tommy you've got to do this for me. You've got to pull through," Chris said. The doctors later shared that Tom was "swirling the drain," a term used to describe patients who are dying despite medical efforts. Not being able to get Tom's heart to respond, the medical experts needed more time than his body was going to allow. The answer to this dilemma was a clinical trial heart pump that could sustain life for up to seven days. From the trial heart pump, Tom moved to the BIVAD, a device that makes the heart pump. At this point it would be a game of musical machines that would last more than a month. The doctors at Strong employed everything possible to sustain Tom, whose heart was dead, until another heart was available. He was placed in Strong's Transplant Step Down Unit while they waited for a match. The magical morning of September 27, which Tom calls his second birthday, a match was identified and the surgeon boarded a jet to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to retrieve it. Chris had arrived home from the hospital at midnight only to get a call two hours later that a donor had been found. "When I got there all the lights in the hallways were dimmed for the night until I walked into Tom's room," Chris said. "It was lights and nurses everywhere." The nurses had to draw 18 vials of blood before surgery could begin. When the jet transporting the heart landed, everyone was waiting and what would be an all-day mission began. Family and friends joined Chris to provide support on this momentous day, and almost every positive vibe was crushed when Chris saw Dr. H. Todd Massey's face. "He said, 'The heart is in, but Tom is still bleeding,' " Chris said. This is a common, but frightening experience with heart transplants. An hour later, Dr. Massey returned to tell Chris that Tom would be headed back into surgery because the bleeding hadn't stopped. Almost 12 hours after Tom's surgery began, the doctor came forward with truly good news - the surgery was a success. Tom was moved to the Intensive Care Unit where he would recover. He left Strong October 14. His life is sweet music Tom acknowledges that his journey from the operating table to sitting on the couch at home across from Chris, is quite remarkable. What could have been life ending, or at least a tragic turn, Tom sees as just a "blip" in his life. "When I was sitting in the hospital, I was dreaming of these days and they're already here," he said. Now that they are here, Tom plans to make the most of them. "The difference in my life now is that I have a different perspective on how I spend my time," he said. More time is spent with Chris and his children, his two sons, Adam and Justin, and his step-children, Danny and Lindsay. The world seems like a better place. Tom was overwhelmed with the outpouring of affection he received. The family was sent more than 100 cards and the hospital was buzzing with visitors. Their church, Gates Presbyterian, provided food constantly and came to Tom's room daily. The nurses and doctors and other patients became his friends. Chris never left his side and was forced to make tough decisions on Tom's behalf. "It was one of the closest times of our lives," he said. That closeness continues and Tom said he feels compelled to help others whenever possible. He has participated in clinical trials, attends a support group for transplant patients and helps promote the hospital. He wants to spread the word on the latest advances in heart transplantation and the services available through Strong. He's the instrument, but someone else provides the tune Tom recalls a doctor who visited with him during recovery. This doctor was one of the first to see him when he was taken off the ambulance, and his role was critical in helping Tom avoid a fast approaching demise. During his visit, the doctor shared with him that things happened that were beyond his control. "He told me, 'I did everything medically possible to save your life. I honestly think there was a higher power in the room,' " Tom said. Both Tom and Chris said there were several hospital staff members who shared with them special feelings they had about Tom. That devine intervention has led Tom to want to help as many others going through similar difficulties. "God made me live for a reason. I don't know exactly what it is but I think this (helping others who need heart transplants) is it," Tom said. "I have an opportunity to do something because people are paying attention to this." Conducting a big fundraiser Tom and Chris have grand plans for "And the BEAT goes on." The couple has been overwhelmed by the generosity of the community. They had to turn bands away and the raffle prizes keep pouring in, each one nicer than the last. They have kept the price, $25 per person, lower than a lot of Strong fundraisers in the hope that they will get a huge turnout. The goal is to benefit the University of Rochester Medical Center's Heart Failure and Transplantation Program. Specifically, they are thinking of the families they met while at Strong, including one that wasn't nearly as fortunate as they were. The couple came to Strong from outside the Rochester area for a heart transplant. The wife spent endless hours in her husband's room never leaving his side. Tom and Chris recall the excitement the day they got a call from the couple saying he would be receiving a heart. Sadly, he didn't survive. "It is people like his wife whom we love and adore and want to do this for," Chris said. Their long-term goal is to raise enough money to build housing within or nearby the hospital for families of transplant patients, like the Ronald McDonald House that serves families of sick children. More short term, they are hoping to purchase laptops to help make life more normal for transplant patients and their families. "They (the staff at Strong) did everything in their power to make us feel comfortable and happy," Chris said. "And the BEAT goes on ..." •June 3 at 4 p.m. •Burgundy Basin Inn •$25 per person •Buffet-style chicken barbecue, 60s and 70s style bands, dancing, raffles and fun •Tickets are sold in advance by calling Tom and Chris at 349-0686 or Dennis and Lee at 227-2367. May 28, 2006 |
