Hogansville Heart Transplant Patient Honored

By Wanda Lowe

February is a month to express love to those around you. It is also a good time to learn more about heart disease, which is still the number one cause of death for both men and women. The mission of the Heart of West Georgia is to educate our community and assist in the placement of AEDs, automated external defibrillators. HOWG’s annual golf tournament raises money to do just that. This year’s tournament, scheduled for April 24th at Highland Country Club, will honor community leader and heart transplant recipient, George Bailey.

George admits his knowledge of heart disease was very limited until this past year. He was not even aware that his own mother had suffered from heart disease before she died. But now he knows a lot and wants to share his knowledge and use his influence to create positive change in the world around him. He hopes to inspire others to find the courage when facing life changing events.

In December of 2023, George began having swelling of his feet and legs. He saw his doctor, who prescribed medication for the swelling and cellulitis. His weight had gotten up to 352 lbs and he admits he did not take his medication as directed. Instead, he would buy bigger clothes and shoes and continued to frequent the golden arches and waffle restaurants to indulge in his favorite foods. Feeling a little better in January, he continued to do all the things that George Bailey the hero does as though nothing had changed. After all, he is young and felt like he could continue with his commitments as usual. But many times he had to go to his car between his obligations to shut down and get himself together before emerging as the hero that everybody knows and relies on.

By May, this denial came to an end. At the Memorial Day service in Hogansville, an event that George has played a big part in helping to organize with the American Legion Post 152, he could no longer deny something was terribly wrong. His swelling, weakness, and sweating were noticeable to all in attendance. He was followed home by friends who love George and were concerned and came to his home to encourage him to seek medical attention. His wife of 32 years, Daniela, drove him to the ER at the VA hospital. George thought he might be having a stroke, or was just dizzy and that he would be ok in a couple of days. He was admitted to ICU and received many tests that ultimately showed his heart was failing. Thus began the journey to get a new heart; a journey that could take 6 months to a year.

George struggled to tell his two daughters about his heart failure. The VA sent him to Vanderbilt, a transplant center in Nashville, TN, that just set a world record in 2024 for the number of life saving transplants. Including George, 174 transplants, 10 of which were on children, were performed there. Having a reputation for doing difficult things and extensive heart failure outreach, as well as the tremendous efforts of a multidisciplinary team with the ability to help patients quickly through an extensive evaluation process while taking care of their heart failure, proved the ideal facility for George to receive the care he needed. He was able to do a lot of the required tests in Georgia, but flew to Vanderbilt every month. His wife and daughters also went through testing and evaluation. Caregivers are a very important part of recovery.

Last summer was spent working on the necessary weight loss with diuretics and diet modification. He was receiving IV medication that helped his heart and eventually required a ventricular assistance device (LVAD) that he wore continually. In September, George had to spend a few days at Emory hospitalized for an infection in his implanted IV PICC line.

Just before Veteran’s Day, this Gulf War Veteran was moved up on the transplant list to status 4, which meant he and Daniela had to have their bags packed and be ready at any moment to be life flighted to Vanderbilt when a heart became available. When he had his regular appointment Nov. 17th, his potassium level was low and he had another heart catheterization. And being status 4, he was admitted. Before Christmas, on December the 5th, George received the gift of life, a new heart, one from an unfortunate 31 year old.

Twelve days after his transplant, I sent George a text message, just to let him know I was thinking of him and his family and keeping them in my prayers, never expecting to hear from him. He immediately called me and sounded amazingly upbeat! His call could not have been more timely, as I was with my husband, in the hospital waiting to be scheduled for coronary bypass surgery. When I told him, he spoke to my husband, Bill. His inspiring message put into perspective what he was going through. My husband had no history of heart disease, no chest pain, but reported to his primary doctor that he was experiencing shortness of breath. He was referred to Dr. Gedevanishvili, last year’s HOWG’s golf tournament honoree. He ordered a series of tests, a calcium scan that was abnormal and a stress test. The results warranted a heart cath that showed significantly blocked arteries that supply the heart muscle,and an urgent need for surgery. Bill’s surgery was just two days before Christmas, giving him the gift of an opportunity for better health.

George and Daniela continue to stay in an apartment in Nashville, near Vanderbilt as he receives his cardiac rehab. He had to miss the MLK annual parade where he was the Grand Marshall. His daughter accepted the LaGrange/Troup County “Spirit of the Community Award” on his behalf. But he is hopeful he will be home in time to be honored at the Heart of West Georgia’s annual golf tournament. The event takes place April 24th at Highland Country Club.

Continuing his mission, George wants to use his influence to create positive change in the world around him, hoping to inspire others to have courage when facing life changes. He is already doing just that. Bill is recovering after his successful open heart surgery receiving cardiac rehabilitation at Wellstar West Georgia’s Heart Clinic and learning what changes to make and having the courage it takes to do so.

Words of wisdom from George- “BE SERIOUS, (particularly if you are a man), pay attention to your own body, listen to your Doctors, don”t deny what is going on, and put God first. Making changes such as eating healthy can be hard, but it is ongoing and there are a lot of options to choose from. Evaluate your life, and move on”.

For more information on how to support the Heart of West Georgia achieve its mission in our community, and to participate in the golf tournament, contact Brent Addison @706-333-6410.