NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Spending a birthday or holiday in the hospital can be really hard. But for one woman with heart failure, spending Mother's Day at the hospital was the ultimate gift.
Back in August, Melissia Boynton, 47, found out she had congestive heart failure and dilated cardiomyopathy.
"She has something called a Titan mutation," said Dr. John Trahanas, a heart surgeon at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
"It runs in families and it causes you to have heart dysfunction for no apparent reason ."
Boynton is from Dallas, Georgia, which is outside of Atlanta. She was on a transplant list closer to home. In April, she got on Vanderbilt's list too.
Boynton's first meeting with the medical team at VUMC was scheduled for later this month. Never did she expect to be in the hospital's cardiovascular ICU this week. But Boynton's new heart had other plans.
On Mother's Day, the mother of three daughters was matched.
"I now have a new guardian angel. A 23-year-old female who saved my life on Mother's Day," Melissia Boynton said.
Dr. Trahanas said his wife pointed out how special it was that this transplant landed on Mother's Day.
"... she said what a wonderful thing. You're going to be able to give this woman a heart on Mother's Day," Dr. Trahanas said.
Not even 72 hours after her transplant, Boynton is already ahead of the recovery curve.
"I don't know what better gift anyone could receive their entire life," Boynton said.
Boynton will spend 6-8 weeks recovering in Nashville, so she's close to the hospital.
More than 100,000 people are waiting for a lifesaving transplant. Registering to be an organ donor is easy and can be done online.
