While living a busy life in her early 40’s, Felicia Bagdon became sick with pneumonia. She recovered, however, something did not seem right. “It turns out that I was undiagnosed several times. Doctors were saying it was asthma, and there were lots of tests. I went to a pulmonary doctor and an echocardiogram showed that I had a large amount of fluid around my heart. I was hospitalized at St. Joseph’s, where my condition got worse, so I was transferred to Hershey for a week. I was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. Five years later my doctors said that they would like to do a heart catheterization. They came back and said I needed a heart transplant; that I was a ticking time bomb. That was 2012 when I was going to school for a degree in medical records. I was 43 years old.”
With this devastating news came the waiting game, until a new heart became available to move forward with the transplant. Until that time Felicia endured procedures that kept her alive. “Basically they would do a right catheterization and pump medicine into me for a week to keep my heart going for another six weeks. When this procedure failed I was told they did not expect me to make it through the night. They put in a left ventricle assisting device (LVad), which gave me an extra two years. I was OK for two years, but in October of 2016 I got sick and became very tired and low energy. They brought me back and found an ulcer and a yeast infection in my blood. I was hospitalized for four weeks, after which they told me I would not be able to leave until I received a heart because the pump was no longer functional. I waited 3 ½ months and on January 25th at 2am I had a heart and that afternoon I had my transplant.”
Through her life-threatening experience, Felicia experienced what it means to have your life restored through the gift of an organ donor. “Through my experience I found out about Gift of Life, and I realized that life is so precious.” The Gift of Life Donor Program is the federally designated organ procurement organization (OPO) which coordinates life-saving organ and tissue transplants. A non-profit organization that manages the donation process, the program encourages people to register as donors to save lives. One organ donor can save up to eight lives.
Felicia was not only given a life-saving heart, but also a new lease on life. “Before my transplant, I was not very social. I stayed home and kept to myself, mostly reading and not venturing out much. I am now living my life. I volunteer with the Book Bonanza, and I am on a local dart team and I’m a trustee for the West Reading Fire Company. I go out and do things on weekends, and I am involved with a colony of cats with a trap, neuter, and release program. Most importantly, I am involved with The Gift of Life, helping to organize their yearly Donor Dash event. This year our half-mile walk was held at Brentwood Park. The cost was $35. Each participant gets a t-shirt. Afterward, we gathered at Trooper Thorns for a raffle, food and drink. It is a great opportunity to meet some wonderful people.”
“There is a need to get more people involved,” explains Felicia. “We do have a chapter here, but we need more people to help get the information out in Berks County. Consider volunteering your time to this vital organization. We have a website (www.donors1.org) to learn more about what we do. Volunteers (Ambassadors) in Berks conduct community outreach, while the program offers support services and organizes events like the Donor Dash.”
As a volunteer for Gift of Life and an organizer for the Donor Dash, Felicia has the personal donor recipient experience which is a valuable resource to someone going through the same ordeal. “I feel that it is important to advocate for others. A lot of people are afraid to speak up for themselves. This all started because I persisted in discovering what was not right with me, and I learned through my experience how to stand up for others and encourage them to advocate for themselves. I am so grateful for every day that I have. I am so thankful to be able to be here to help others through a very scary time, helping to hold them up through it.”
For more information visit Gift of Life at www.donors1.org and follow Berks County Gift of Life Donor Dash on Facebook.
