A change of heart - Lessons learned through a second chance
By Nathan Howard, Guest ContributorShare:  
January 18, 2010 — Gazing down at my hospital bed, seeing myself connected to tubes and monitors, I had a perfect understanding that Heavenly Father hears and answers our prayers.
He does so, I was reminded starkly, in His own way and in His own time, never leaving us alone to our own resolve, even though we sometimes give up on Him, impatiently waiting for a quick solution.
Cardiologists go to great effort and implement all the technology available to circumvent the last chance for survival of a dying patient by means of a heart transplant. There are risks involved in such remedial treatments, even the possible death of the patient as I found out for a brief moment that day.
For several years I had agreed to try whatever prescription miracle available or even experimental, to prolong life and support my failing heart. I also tried lots of alternative supplements, but none of these remedies provided a permanent solution and soon I was faced with considering "a change of heart."
Born in California and raised in and near the City by the Bay, I was born to be a professional athlete, or so I thought. I was always running and jumping as fast as I could. At night laying in bed, I could hardly hear the sound of the nearby surf, for the beating of my irregular heart. I wondered why it never did smooth out, maybe everyone's heart was like that. Never did I discuss my concerns with my parents nor associates and especially not later with coaches of my high school sports teams. I worked hard to keep up and even excel while playing tennis and basketball and running cross country.
Finally one year (this is back in the mid 1950s) the school issued a
ruling that all student-athletes must have a physical. I failed the test due to what the nurse said was a "heart murmur". I recall thinking, "sure, I knew that - my heart is constantly going, "murmur…murmur…murmur." I was thinking the term referred to irregular heartbeats, ignorant of leaky valves and their possible related complications.
So, it was goodbye to high school sports, but I was not to be denied in my great ambitions to be an athlete. I switched to Church sports - they would let anyone play! I was in sports heaven. I pitched fastpitch softball, played lots of basketball, and learned the sport of all sports - volleyball, which I played for 50 years.
Nathan is shown here during the tennis competition of the U.S. Transplant Games in Orlando, Fla. Contributed Photo.
I didn't like missing a volleyball game. I recall in 1992 when a heart transplant seemed inevitable, I was equipped with a heart monitor with leads connected to my chest and a recording device secured to my uniform. While playing in a game against one of the best teams in the league, I dove for a ball, dislodged the leads and gave that recording device some heartwaves that cardiologists are still trying to figure out. I did dig out the spike and we won the game.
Despite having been born with a congenital heart defect, later to be diagnosed as a "non-surgical transposition of the great vessels," I always tried to maintain a positive attitude about life and not complain. My sister, Anita, a year my senior, struggled with similar symptoms and I watched after her closely, ignoring my weakness in order to help make her life more comfortable.
Nathan has remained actively involved in activities like fishing, golf and tennis since receiving a heart transplant in September 1993. Contributed Photo.
I always wanted to serve a full-time mission and my health issues were never a consideration not to follow my ambitions. I somehow passed all the physicals and soon was on my way to Central America. I went with faith that I would endure all that was required of me.
My testimony of the gospel was founded on personal revelation of its
truthfulness and so with confidence, armed with scriptures and basic working knowledge of the language, I accepted the call. I would later learn that it would be that experience, of giving my whole heart (spiritually) to the Lord, that would symbolically be related to the miracles leading up to and receiving a physical "change of heart."
The first miracle after my mission was to be blessed with my eternal companion, JoAnn, a beautiful airline hostess assigned to my hometown airport, San Francisco. If she had known about my condition, maybe she would have reluctantly accepted when I gave her my heart, but she did and we were sealed in the Oakland Temple in 1965.
I followed my dad's example and pursued an engineering career in construction. Our travels took us to Seattle where we raised our family of two boys.
The years of stress with work and physical activity eventually took their toll and symptoms of heart failure began to be evident. Having still avoided seeing a cardiologist, I finally followed my wife's and family's
urging and checked myself into the Oregon Health Science Cardiothoracic department for evaluation.
After a few unsuccessful months of trying to extend my life by alternate
methods, I was admitted to the "list" to receive a heart. Presently there are nearly 100,000 patients on the organ transplant list. An average 20 of those individuals will die each day due to the lack of donor organs. My sister, Anita, and I are among those fortunate recipients of organ transplant who have received the "gift of life".
Organ recipients' lives are not without challenges. Anti-rejection medications are part of our lifestyle, as is maintaining good health practices, diet and exercise. Similarly, as expressed in a recent General Conference address by Elder Dale G. Renlund, the "ultimate" change of heart(spiritually) requires maintenance and attention to spiritual matters.
I profess that the gift of life as it pertains to the physical heart, whether it be a donor heart or the one we were born with, requires that we exercise good judgment in both areas of spiritual and physical matters.
Nathan Howard and his wife JoAnn have served five missions for the LDS Church including a temple mission last year in Nauvoo, Ill. Contributed Photo.
I was not alone in that hospital room that night nor had Heavenly Father not been hearing my prayers. I'm thankful to Him for having compassion to
show me, in a most certain way, that he was there and for giving me another opportunity to recommit myself to complete my mission on earth. That experience along with many other answers to prayers helped me through the much more difficult trials of transplant and recovery that would follow.
Throughout my experiences, I've learned never to deny that we are guarded by angels, nor complain that our prayers are not being answered. I'm certain that if we pray fervently for a "second chance" at life, then live each new day wisely, as it pertains to both physical and spiritual matters, we will be rewarded according to our faith.
To learn more about organ donation, call LifeCenter Northwest at 509-456-2095 or visit www.lcnw.org.
Nathan Howard is a member of the Evergreen Ward in the Spokane East Stake. He and his wife, JoAnn, have served five missions together - each one with happy hearts.
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