The beat goes on for heart transplant recipient, cancer survivor - Hometownlife.com
Jerry Berkesch sat on the couch and looked around the living room of his daughter's home as if to soak it all in. In the room were his daughters Shellie Brewart and Kari Shea, their husbands, Shellie's oldest son Logan and her three-week-old... Twenty-two years ago, the family struggled to picture these family gatherings ever happening. He had a massive heart attack there and had flat-lined by the time his family arrived at the hospital. But here he is today, healthy and active, thanks to his heart from Gift of Life Michigan. He said he initially asked God for 15 years when he got his heart transplant, but since he didn't factor in grandchildren "five years ago I had to reopen the negotiations. "I had all this to live for," Berkesch, 72, said of his now extended family. Berkesch had quadruple bypass surgery to help restore blood flow to the heart following the heart attack, but was told that for him to have any chance at living a longer life he was going to need a new heart. He got on the Gift of Life transplant list through Henry Ford Hospital and waited only 30 days for the call to come. Source: www.hometownlife.com
