On Christmas Eve 2002, Danny and Bambi Thomas headed to the hospital for the expected birth of their new daughter, Ellie. And while Ellie did arrive into this world safe and sound, Bambi did not fare so well. During labor, she developed an elevated heart rate, and by the end of the process was in full cardiac arrest.
Bambi was diagnosed with postpartum cardiomyopathy, a disease that weakens the heart of a pregnant woman. The disease is undetected for the most part until symptoms develop during the late stages of pregnancy or in the first few weeks post partum. While Danny took little Ellie home to the care of grandparents, Bambi was flown to a cardiac care hospital 50 miles away.
As the story developed, Bambi was put on the heart transplant list, and was given a mechanical device called a BiVAD to keep her alive while awaiting her eventual transplant. Tragically, after a courageous battle with this disease, Bambi died on August 20 from an aneurysm.
On a personal level, this was a great loss. I knew Bambi and Danny well during their high school and early college years. Danny was a basketball star at our local high school and went on to play college ball, leading his team to an NAIA Division II National Championship. Bambi was a beauty queen, a model and a talented dancer. They were high school sweethearts and absolutely wonderful young people.
Now, with funerals and memorials over, Danny and little Ellie face the prospects of life without their sweetheart and mother. And while there is a wonderful network of support for Danny among family and friends, he will still face huge responsibility in the face of sorrow. Certainly there are many Dannys out there who lose their wife and their child’s mother to death. And each one has a tragic story.
So what can be done about postpartum cardiomyopathy? Bambi and Danny were beginning to find out with the creation of the Bambi Thomas Healing Hearts Foundation,created to help with the tremendous cost of medical care to save victims of postpartum cardiomyopathy. Bambi’s medical expenses exceeded $500,000, and that was prior to the transplant she never received. And there are many uninsured moms who face the stark reality of a limited number of hearts and a long waiting list. The foundation is a worthy cause for people with means to share.
Additionally, Bambi and Danny have been involved in promoting organ donations. Here in Utah, they have encouraged many people to sign up as organ donors. An internet site called the Living Bank offers a way to register online as an organ donor. An available healthy heart a little earlier in Bambi’s life would have allowed Danny and Ellie to enjoy her company for years to come.
So to Danny and Ellie go our hope and concern. To their families, we offer our admiration and our best wishes. And to Bambi, our thanks for helping increase awareness of postpartum cardiomyopathy and of the need for organ donation.
