April 25, 2023 – As healthcare professionals across Florida call attention to the importance of organ donation in April during National Donate Life Month, a west Florida man is particularly grateful for one donor among the more than 11.8 million enrolled in the state’s Joshua Abbott Organ and Tissue Donor Registry.
Just eight months after his heart transplant, the now 56-year-old John Wilder of Port Richey, Florida is able to live life to its fullest, vigorously competing in 10K runs with an eye on competing in the 2024 World Transplant Games.
“Grateful is the understatement of the world,” Wilder says. “With every stride, I think about the donor who gave me life.”
His health outlook wasn’t as rosy back in November 2019 when, after completing the New York City Marathon, his month-long post-race recovery period was marred with shortness of breath. He even found walking to be a challenge. Two months later, his cardiology team discovered a 98% blockage which was seamlessly repaired with the placement of a stent.
Fast forward to June 2021 when, after undergoing hernia surgery, Wilder awoke to learn he had had a massive heart attack. He was transferred to HCA Florida Largo Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit where he was stabilized and ultimately discharged after three weeks of care.
In December 2021, the HCA Florida Largo Hospital Advanced Heart Failure Center, where he had been referred to for ongoing care, found him eligible for the transplant list. Six months later, he received the life-changing call that they had a match – he would receive a new heart. His successful heart transplant surgery took place on June 22, 2022.
Just eight months after his heart transplant surgery and rehabilitation, Wilder and his new heart successfully completed the 2023 8K Publix Gasparilla Tampa run. Next, Wilder ran in the Skyway 10K run above Tampa Bay. Today, with his wife Kim by his side, he runs three miles a day three times a week. He also bikes up to 10 miles on the weekend.
“I’m grateful for my donor and the millions of Floridians enrolled in the state’s Joshua Abbott Organ and Tissue Donor Registry,” Wilder adds. “To every Florida resident who has signed on to be a donor, I say thank you.”
According to the Donate Life Florida 2021 Annual Report:
- Florida ranks third in the nation in organ and tissue donor registry enrollment;
- As of December 31, 2021, 11.8 million individuals were enrolled in the Joshua Abbott Organ and Tissue Donor Registry (a 138% increase since July 2009, when the new registry was launched); and
- 70% of the state’s counties have donor designation rates of 50% or higher.
Florida’s organ, eye and tissue registry is named for Joshua Abbott, the recipient of a lung transplant who passed away in 2006. Abbott’s story so moved the Florida legislature that, in 2009, Florida Agency for Health Care Administration chose Donate Life Florida to create a statewide donor registry to increase enrollment and educate Floridians about donation.
According to Donate Life America, www.donatelife.net, more than 100,000 people are waiting for lifesaving organ transplants. Every nine minutes another person is added to the national transplant waiting list.
In 2022, 42,887 organ transplants were performed in the United States, an increase of 3.7 percent over 2021 and a new annual record, according to data from United Network for Organ Sharing which serves as the national Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network under federal contract.
About HCA Florida Healthcare
HCA Florida Healthcare, a part of HCA Healthcare, is a family of more than 570 affiliated sites of care, including hospitals, physician practices and freestanding emergency rooms. United as a statewide network in 2021, HCA Florida Healthcare includes approximately 11,000 experienced doctors and 77,000 colleagues working together to deliver advanced, collaborative care to more than 7.4 million patients each year. HCA Florida Healthcare is committed to improving more lives in more ways and giving back to the communities it serves. The network provided nearly $836.6 million in uncompensated care and invested significantly in innovative technologies and facilities across Florida, including the new $360 million state-of-the-art, multi-specialty HCA Florida University Hospital in Davie, Fla. A strong advocate for the next generation of healthcare professionals, HCA Florida Healthcare is also a major supporter of university-based healthcare programs and residencies and fellowships throughout the Sunshine State. For more information, please visit HCAFloridaHealthcare.com.
About HCA Florida Largo Hospital
HCA Florida Largo Hospital is a 455-bed statutory teaching hospital serving Pinellas County and patients across the state and nation from three campuses including a freestanding emergency department in Clearwater. It is part of HCA Florida Healthcare, a family of more than 450 affiliate sites of care including hospitals, physician practices and freestanding emergency rooms, offering the state’s leading network of personalized care. The hospital offers a number of specialty services including Breast Institute, Cardiovascular Service with Advanced Heart Failure Care (Left Ventricular Assist Device, Heart Transplant), Kidney and Liver Transplant, Hepatobiliary Care (Kidney, Liver, and Gallbladder), Orthopedic/Total Joint Care, Spine, and Neurologic Care, Robotic Surgery and Wound Care Services with Hyperbaric Medicine. HCA Florida Largo Hospital’s Graduate Medical Education Department offers 10 residency and fellowship programs which are accredited through ACGME. The hospital is the West Coast Academic Center for NOVA Southeastern University and is affiliated with the USF Morsani College of Medicine.
