Steven Sherer: What's up everyone? Peace and blessings. Happy Friday. It is June 12, 2026. And we are bringing you the intro episode of the Scars and Stories podcast. I am so happy to bring this to you today. I waited to June 12th for this special day because it is my two year transplant anniversary, aka heart anniversary for the heart transplant for those who experience the same thing as I have. And so again I'm super excited to bring this podcast. I've been looking forward to it. I feel like it's been my purpose, it's been my calling, and I'm here to educate people, to give voice to people, and give voice to our scars. Because our scars definitely tell a story. And the reason I say that is because at one point in time in my life I was ashamed of my scars. I didn't want to show them. But with time, experience, and some hospital visits, ⁓ I began to seek meaning. I found out these scars have so much more to tell than just hiding them. So why hide it and just give voice to ⁓ and tell my tell my journey. And that's what this podcast is ⁓ set up to do as well. This is gonna give the opportunity for those who want to speak. So somewhere in the future at this podcast, which I do have some people lined up, but ⁓ to get more speakers so they can provide their experience and their journey of their ⁓ transplant and how they got there, whether it's their heart transplant, kidney or ⁓ liver, you know, even even bone marrow. So A lot of people go through these things and a lot of everybody's journey is different leading to their transplant. So ⁓ Scars and Stories is designed again to give voice, to provide a safe place safe space, excuse me, and to provide an outlet to those who've been on this journey, whether it is pre or post. So you have those out in the world who's still waiting for their life saving organ. You have those who go through ⁓ the guilt after receiving their their transplant. That is a thing. also the mental and physical toll it takes on an individual going through the process of whether it's getting to be added on the list and then post transplant getting back to a normal life through ⁓ you know, in my case like cardiac rehab, learning how to get your legs strong again and to walk after those after that first day ⁓ or two after your transplant. ⁓ and just building up that physical and mental fortitude to carry on. And so again, Scars Scars and Stories is designed to provide that outlet again to tell your story. And this is why we're creating it. For instance, I'm gonna share just a little bit of mine, just a small one. We'll get into the details as time goes on. But my journey to transplant was because I was born with congenital heart disease. I've had my first surgery before I turned one. And then with that I had another surgery around eleven years old. So my my journey basically the cards were dealt from the time I was born. So I had to have a series of surgeries. And the last one I had prior to the ⁓ transplant was called a Fontan procedure. And when you're young, you're in the nineties, you're a kid, so You're not really thinking about that. You're just thinking about I got my surgery, I'm living, I wanna be like everybody else, I wanna play as an eleven year old. I'm I'm trying to live the life of a kid. But the thing is, you're not you're not educated at that time, nor do you really think about that. But as I got older and I got into high school, and by the time I got ready to graduate, I mean I can remember remember this, it was just a few days before my high school graduation. end up having my first complication. And my first comp my first complication had ⁓ it was called at that time I didn't know but I known it to be as a flutter. And what happens is your heart is beating rapidly out the rhythm. And so that first episode happened to me and and I remember this. ⁓ it started at my house and I'm thinking it was okay and I was driving. I was at a Walmart and then I felt the heart rate just speed up to the point I couldn't catch my breath. And next thing I know, I was flat on my face. Now, this never happened to me, so I'm in a panic. So I get in I get in my car, not the smart thing to do, but you're in fight or flight then. I go to the nearest person's house that I know, call my mother. She comes and gets me, takes me to the hospital, and then I get transported to WU hospital. Because that's where that's where my ⁓ my history is far as ⁓ checkups, sur ⁓ surgical history, all of that is there. So we finally get there, we get things straight, they get me back in rhythm, and this is my first time I ever been introduced to a med. So prior to that I was never on meds. It was just surgical intervention. And now we are on meds and so the time it helped. I was only on a pill, one pill, and then I carried on. Made it back in time for my graduation. ⁓ spent the summer in New York with my uncle and my grandmother. s also started college. ⁓ so I was fine. And I went through pretty much a few years until I had another episode. Same thing, same protocol, more meds. And so that kinda repeated itself every few years until I got older. And then it started becoming more frequent. And with that frequency became more meds. Until the point of I had one episode that was pretty pretty bad. And I was dealt the Blow that I would have to be eventually put on a trans the transplant list. Of course, at that time this devastated me. I didn't know, I wasn't educated as much. I knew some things about my current situation, but not not what it could lead up to. So myself and my wife hearing that ⁓ was not easy. It was not easy at all. So we carried on until the next episode and ⁓ and at that time we had a new doctor ⁓ and then she told me the news that I'm gonna have to be placed on the transplant list. So at that time I was ⁓ placed on that ⁓ transplant list and I had to go to UPMC which is in Pittsburgh. And so with that you go through the process of getting on the list that's ⁓ you know the blood work the the stress tests, the the scans and everything, the MRIs, all of that stuff you got to go through to get on the list. And eventually I got on it. And I remember that day too, after all the things you go through, the psyche vows and all that, that they want you to be very compliant. But ⁓ I got the call on my mother's birthday and they let me know that I was placed on the transplant list. And so they put me at a status four, which is critical enough to be up there to get the phone call as soon as possible, but not so critical, but you can stay home. So I didn't have to stay in the hospital and wait. And so here we went through the ⁓ through a year, and by the time we got to that one year mark, that's when ⁓ things started to change. My body I started getting weaker, my heart rate towards the end started getting ⁓ lower, so we went into bradycardia. That's when your heart rate is too low. So at one point I was at twenty nine beats, thirty beats per minute. And then ⁓ also, you know, in and out of the hospital at that time, to the point where I f went to one of my appointments. ⁓ My cardiologist at the time told me that it's time to actually ⁓ be admitted into the hospital and I would have to stay there until I receive ⁓ my life-saving heart. And so another devastating blow. And it was one that was needed because I'm so used to being the person to do a lot of things around a house, you know, the man of the house and stuff like that. And so to get that news, it's probably one of the very few times I've actually broken down and crying other than ⁓ other situations. But yeah, so I go back home try to figure it out, wait for the phone call for when I need to come up and be admitted and ⁓ of course I would have to have a ⁓ a heart cath before then. So that call happened sooner than what I thought. So I was back in Pittsburgh before I know it. April tenth to be at Zach with the hammer heart cath and then I would admit it into U PM C for the foreseeable future. Until I got the phone call. So imagine being gone from your family for just a little bit over two months. having them travel an hour and a half each way to s to visit you because they they are just like I was unsure of what's gonna happen. We don't know if we're gonna get a heart in time. And in my in my condition, ⁓ which was hypoplastic right heart syndrome, which is your right ventricle didn't fully develop. And again, back to the surgery I had ⁓ the Fon Ten actually they have a ⁓ what's called a leaky valve to relieve pressure. With time that leaky valve the blood leaks, it backs up against your liver and it scars it over time, which I did not know that until later on when they were basically doing the ⁓ the work up to get me on the transplant list. So I was in the waters for ⁓ heart transplant and possibly a liver transplant if I didn't get the heart in time there was a possibility that we were gonna need both. Thank goodness that didn't happen but again let's go back to waiting until until I get my heart. My family is traveling back and forth. Friends and family they're visiting and you know the look of uncertainty in their eyes And me pacing back and forth in the hospital with ⁓ the pick line in my arm, melanone flowing through to keep keep my heart strong enough to go, but also me walking so I could keep my legs strong enough. So when I get my heart, because I was being very hopeful, ⁓ that my legs would stay strong and it would allow my recovery time to be fast. so With that said, I waited. I met some people while I was in the hospital. I actually met a a lady who was just like me. She's older. But she came five days after I came. So she came April fifteenth and she was waiting on the same thing like I was waiting for heart. In her case she had to have the heart endlock, but she was a older person, so she she went through this a little earlier where technology was not so available at that time. ⁓ But I waited and I remember to this day at 159, June 12th, 159 in the morning. Cell phone was laying on my chest and I was in a deep sleep, probably one of the best sleeps I ever had in that hospital. And I got the call and they told me that they had found a viable heart for me. And they'll be prepping me around ⁓ what five? It was five AM that afternoon. And So I called up everybody to let them know. Wife came. They started that ⁓ prep a little early. Luckily my wife got back in time and nine hours later there was I woke up and I had a new heart. And the reason mines was so long, 'cause I think that depending on what you've been through, the transplant itself is usually ⁓ on average four to five hours, it all depends. But in my case, you know, ⁓ cutting through old scar tissue and reconstructive surgery was involved, which put me at high risk. So there could have been complications. there is a high chance I would not make it off that table. But by the grace of God I did. But ⁓ yeah. June June twelfth I got the heart and I was out of the hospital, I believe June twenty eighth. But yeah, I sat in that hospital seventy days. total from beginning to the end. And so This is the reason why I ⁓ creating this ⁓ this podcast because no one's gonna understand what you've been through except for the person who has gone through it or has gone through it. So this podcast is designed to give voice to our scars, it's allowing people to speak about their journey. So this is gonna be a safe place. And my hopes are to have people come on to podcast and speak and do what they need to do. Whether this cry or just let it be known just to get it off their chest because not everybody knows. Now I know we have these programs out here, we got people advocating and trust me they are much needed. I am part of it too. ⁓ I'm out here advocating. I do some advocating for CORE, which is the Center for Oregon Recovery Education. They cover the Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia part of the ⁓ sections. So I do events, I go to meetings, I speak at certain events. And that's honestly one of the things that got me going and led me to the ⁓ creating my own podcast is because There are so many people out there who just need comfort, and then there are people out there who need educated. And so this is what I plan on doing, and this is how I pay it forward to others as well. When I spoke at my very first event for core, it was that aha moment for me. Like this is what needs to be done. How can I pay it forward? What can I do for others? And how can I speak up? And how can I do my donor justice as well? Cause my donor saved my life. So what better avenue to take than creating a podcast? And also plan on hitting the streets and just going up to random people and asking how do they feel about organ donation or if they aware of it. Have they signed up? Will they sign up? And just to get them get them aware because on average there's over a hundred thousand people waiting for their life saving organ. So you have a hundred thousand people waiting for a life saving organ. And there's over billions of people in this country alone. And if not everybody's ⁓ signed up, how can you really save somebody? So this is also used to put out on the daily. You have the donate life programs, you have certain months where they really push it, and then you have like I said, you have the advocacy programs for each region that ⁓ help get the word out. But this is just gonna be another way. Except this I plan on bringing to the forefront. ⁓ I wanna do something different because you need we need this. Honestly, we need this. There are people who are not so fortunate. You know, there are families who have lost loved ones because they didn't receive their transplant in time. And then there's there are people who are still waiting for their transplant. And the clock's ticking with people like that. It's not an easy journey. It's not easy walking around every day wondering when or if I'm gonna receive my organ or if there's a match. Will I make it another day? Is my body gonna become weaker? Am I gonna leave my family behind? Are my children gonna be without a f a mother or a father? Or so forth and so on. Those are questions that go through people's minds every day. And then we wanna look at aspects from pre-transplant post transplant and we want to hear from the caretakers 'cause they need a voice too. Because I know what my wife went through taking care of me while I was sick, while I was recovering, so forth and getting me to my appointments. The look in her eyes, the uncertainty, the fear, the day the night she cried, wondering if I'm gonna if I'm gonna come back home. Like she cried beside me before she would leave the hospital. Or she'd cry beside me before I went to the hospital. So she would have those nights. So again, this is important to me and this is important for them. And I plan on continuing to work as long as I live through one way or another. you know, also my hope for the podcast is to provide strength, some courage, empowerment, and definitely hope. ⁓ 'cause is exactly the things I I use to get me through and still using. So this is a release for me. This is therapy doing this podcast. So I hope is gonna be the same way for others. ⁓ also with that said, ⁓ for those who are waiting for their life-saving organ, for those who are post-transplant, I invite you to come on to the Scars and Stories podcast, to provide your voice, to speak for yourself and speak for others. Let others know what you're going through or what you've gone through. Because not enough people know. And it's a long difficult journey. And after you receive your transplant, please know this is lifelong. This isn't a cure. This is treatment. After you get your transplant, you are on lifelong meds, which means you need lifelong care, lifelong insurance. And I put emphasis on that for multiple reasons. If you know, you know. And this again, this is needed. So again, I invite you to join me. Go on the front line with me. Let others know that it's okay. That there's hope. There is it's okay to fear. All of these are valid. All of these are things that you should go through. But you're not walking this journey alone. So that's what we're here for. That's what I'm here for. This is what these programs are here for. These are what other individuals are creating their own thing to help people. That's what they're there for. I was inspired by them. And now I plan on inspiring others. Because there were people there for me. And I plan on helping them out and paying it forward. And this is how I do it. ⁓ And before I jump off, I just wanna give a shout out to my friend Kellen and Eric for letting me use use their ⁓ their beat. They they create beats and stuff and they make their own music. And there was one particular song that they had that they dropped ⁓ a while ago. Titled songs called Dope Mutants, but the the beat for it the whole thing was is fire, but the beat for it just kinda like got to me. So I did ask him for the intro inst the instrumental for the intro and I was fortunate enough for them to bless me with that. And then also a final shout out to well definitely to my wife, who's been there for me, who's known about my condition since the time she met me. So she's been through the trenches. So we have been together for twenty three years. Married eleven of that. About to be eleven. So she's been through the trenches. She's she's th that's a woman that w has walked through the fire with me. So I'm very appreciated. So and also, everybody else of the family members who's been through this with me as well. But also I wanna give another shout out to my parents who are no longer here. ⁓ I lost my mother in twenty nineteen. She had pulmonary embolism and then I lost my dad just few ⁓ earlier that year of my transplant. I I lost him in January with his battle of ⁓ of cancer. So that was again, that's a tough that was a tough year to lose my father and then I lost my great uncle as well. He was a huge part. He'd always called and checked on me saying he hoped I get my heart and everything. I lost him the following month after my father and then the turnaround a couple of months later and be hospitalized myself and not knowing if I'm gonna come home. So but again, this is dedicated for y'all and this also dedicated for the ones who are out there waiting. So but Thank you for joining this first episode, this intro episode, the the Scars and Stories podcast. I look forward to dishing out some more content, some more episodes. We got things in the works and We're gonna pave it for it, we're gonna make it do what it do. Peace.