>> AND WE BEGIN THIS HALF HOUR WITH A MAN’S INSPIRING FIGHT. THANK YOU FOR STAYING WITH US. I’M GLAD TO LEWIS. HE’S GONE THROUGH THE UNTHINKABLE TWICE. OUR CAROLYN CLIFFORD JOINS US NOW WITH A LOOK AT HIS JOURNEY AND HE’S INSPIRED THE MOST
CAROLYN. THIS IS INCREDIBLE. IT IS INCREDIBLE. AND FIRST, I WANT TO SAY WELCOME BACK TO YOU LIKE TO HAVE YOU BACK. THANK YOU SO MUCH. WELL, IT IS HARD. >> HEALTH MONTH AND TONIGHT WE WANT TO SHARE THE STORY ABOUT
A MAN WHO IS LITERALLY CONSIDEED A WALKING MIRACLE. HE’S UNDERGONE NOT ONE BUT 2 HEART TRANSPLANTS. WHILE MANY COUNTED HIM OUT. HE IS NOT ONLY BEAT THE ODDS, BUT HE HAS INSPIRED HIS OWN DAUGHTER ALONG THE WAY. >> ERIC MORGAN ROTH WAS LIVING
THE AMERICAN DREAM ATTENDING THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AS AN UNDERGRAD SMART AS A WHIP. HE WAS WAITING TO APPLY FOR MED SCHOOL THEN WITHOUT WARNING THE UNTHINKABLE WOKE UP ONE MORNING AND JUST COULDN’T CATCH MY BREATH IN HIS EARLY 20’S, ERIC AND NEVER
BROKEN A BONE. BUT HE WAS HAVING A TOUGH TIME TAKING A SHOWER. HE DROVE HIMSELF TO THE HOSPITAL WITHIN MINUTES. HE WAS ADMITTED AND THEN TRANSFERRED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN’S CARDIOVASCULAR CENTER. PUT ME ON AT THE TIME WAS CALLED BY VANS, WHICH WERE
HEART PUMPS. THAT WAS SOMETHING THE SIZE OF LIKE A VOLKSWAGEN ENGINE. >> PUSHING BLOOD, YOU KNOW. MY BODY BASICALLY IS HARD WAS BEING PUMPED ARTIFICIALLY. I HAD THESE BIG TUBES COMING INTO CHEST AND I DO MY CHEST IN THE FIGHT, MOVED OR GOT UP
AD SOME OF THOSE TUBES. I MIGHT NOT SURVIVE. HE WAS IN AND OUT OF A MEDICALLY INDUCED COMA AND DIAGNOSED WITH MYOCARDITIS INFLAMMATION OF THE HEART MUSCLE. IT CAN WEAKEN YOUR HEART LEAD TO HEART FAILURE OR SUDDEN DEATH. I THINK I WAS SUPPOSED TO
SURVIVE IT, BUT ULTIMATELY. >> I HAD SOME INCREDIBLE CARE AND SOME LACK ERIC WAS QUICKLY PUT ON THE WAITING LIST FOR A HEART TRANSPLANT BECAUSE YOU’RE KNOCKING ON DEATH’S DOOR, KNOCKING ON DEATH’S DOOR AND WAS NOT ABLE TO SURVIVE WITHOUT. YOU KNOW,
INTERVENTION. I HAD MACHINES KEEPING ME ALIVE. HE WAS IN BED ON HARD MACHINES FOR 34 DAYS THE TIME WAS THE LONGEST IN THE WORLD. ANYONE HAD LIVED AND HURT BY AT AGE, 25 ERA GETS A HEART TRANSPLANT AT THE LEARN HOW TO LIVE LIFE
DIFFERENTLY. 25 MAN TODAY, NEW DIET AND CARING FOR A BRAND NEW HEART. A HEART THAT LEADS HIM TO MARRY HIS WIFE ANDREA. A YEAR LATER SOON AFTER THEY HAVE 2 CHILDREN AND LIFE SEEMS RELATIVELY NORMAL. >> THEN MORE THAN DECADES
LATER, A YEARLY STRESSED ECHO TEST IS WORRISOME. I GOT A PHONE CALL FROM MY DOCTOR WHICH WAS NOT TYPICAL. >> AND HE SAID, I NEED TO COME BACK. I DON’T LIKE WHAT I SAW ON THE ECHO. ONCE AGAIN, HE’S ADMITTED TO THE HOSPITAL AND
TOLD HIS HEART IS FAILING THEM. THINKING ABOUT. >> MY WAY, IF SOMETHING CAME OUT MY CHILDREN AND THINKING ABOUT. YOU KNOW, WHETHER OR NOT NEVER LEAVE THE HOSPITAL. >> HE WAS KT 3 AS SILVER BULLET MEDICATION TO TAKE HIM OUT OF REJECTION. BUT THIS
WONDER DRUG COULD ONLY BE USED ONCE IF HE GOES THROUGH REJECTION WITH THE NEW HEART. IT CAN NOT BE USED TO SAVE HIM THEY OPT FOR HIGH DOSES OF OTHER DRUGS TO GET HIM OUT OF REJECTION. AND I PULLED MY
CHART START LOOKING AND I SAW. >> THE TERM TERM AND ON. I CALLED MY WIFE AND MY KIDS SAYS TERMINAL. STARTED TOOK UP. >> AFTER THE SECOND HEART TRANSPLANT, HE WAS IN REJECTION AND THEY NEEDED THAT WONDER DRUG TO SAVE HIM. NOW
IN HIS LATE 30’S, IT WORKED. >> AND YOUR BABY CURL WAS ONLY 6 IS SAYING, DADDY, I WANT TO BE A DOCTOR. I WANT TO TAKE CARE OF YOU AND TAKE CARE OF OTHER PEOPLE LIKE YOU. YEAH. AND SHE MEANT BECAUSE SHE’S
GOING TO SCHOOL. SHE’S BEEN ACCEPTED THE SETTLEMENT SCHOOL. SHE’S PLANNING CURRENTLY GOING IN THE CUT THRUST OF MEDICINE. WHAT IS JOURNEY BEEN LIKE FOR YOU AND YOUR KIDS AND YOUR FAMILY OVERALL, WE’RE JUST, YOU KNOW, GRATEFUL.
>> TO HAVE HIM AND TO HAVE HIM DOING SO OUT. AND ERIC, JUST THANKFUL FOR HIS CARE FOR HIS FAMILY AND HIS 3RD CHANCE AT LIFE. I LOOK FORWARD EVERY BIRTHDAY. EVERY BIRTHDAY MEANS I’VE SURVIVED ANOTHER YEAR. >> I’VE SEEN STORY AND SAW IT
AGAIN AND CHOKED ME UP AGAIN. WHAT TODAY THEIR FAMILY BELIEVES IN PROMOTING ORGAN DONATION. THEY SUGGEST YOU TALK TO YOUR OWN FAMILY ABOUT ORGAN DONATION AND LET THEM KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS IF YOU DESIRE THAT IN THE FUTURE AND COME MAY ERIC WILL BE LEADING
THE WASHTENAW COUNTY HARD AND STROKE. WALK. THEY CHOSE HIM BECAUSE THEY WANTED TO PATIENTS WITH AN INSPIRING STORY. AND HE CERTAINLY HAS ONE. IF YOU WANT TO HEAR MORE ABOUT ORGAN DONATION, HEAD TO OUR WEB SITE W X, Y Z DOT COM.
GLENN, DO YOU KNOW HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO BECOME AN ORGAN DONOR? YOU CAN SAY SO MANY LIVES. AND WHILE THAT MAN RIGHT THERE CAN INSPIRE ANYONE TO DO SO. WOW. SECOND YES, YOU
