Life-saving transplant is a tale of an 'honorable heart'
GateHouse News Service
ROCKFORD -- Ricky Martinez knew he was headed for a war zone when he became a Marine. He knew his life would be on the line.
But after watching the devastation caused by the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Martinez signed up anyway.
As it happened, Martinez survived two tours in Iraq. It was five months later, after he had returned home and applied to become a police officer, that he was killed. Allegedly mistaken for a gang member, the 23-year-old was shot in the streets of Chicago after going to a Cubs game.
The tragedy stole his future and left his family devastated. Yet, in his death, Martinez managed one final, selfless act: He donated his heart to a man he had never met.
'Most unimaginable call'
Rockford electrician Brian Troy was at the top of the waiting list for a heart transplant on the day Martinez was shot. Troy had just finished a two-month hospital stay, during which he had spent 30 days in a coma and lost 40 pounds.
Troy has a genetic problem that caused an irregular heartbeat and eventually an enlarged heart. Troy's mother died at 51 from heart ailments; his grandfather had a stroke when he was 43. Troy was 41 years old, had been sick for more than three years and was rapidly deteriorating. He needed a new heart soon.
"I just knew it was something I was going to have to go through," he said. "There was an acceptance there that either I'm going to make it or I'm not."
Troy struggled with the idea that getting a new heart -- his greatest wish -- meant that someone else would meet an untimely death. It didn't seem natural to take someone else's heart.
And yet every time he felt short of breath, Troy was reminded he would leave a wife and two children behind when his heart gave out. So the only question left in his mind was whether one would become available soon enough.
Then early on a Sunday morning, as his wife changed his bandages, the telephone rang. On the other end was a nurse at Chicago's Loyola Hospital, telling the Troys to get there right away.
"That was the most unimaginable call," Troy said. "Wow, I'm going in and getting a new heart."
The couple raced to get dressed and sped down the highway to arrive at the hospital two hours later. Troy says he wasn't nervous heading into surgery, even though he knew the risks associated with a heart transplant were high.
"I was at peace," he said. "I had faith that whatever was going to happen was going to be the right thing."
And so, as the Martinez family mourned, Troy went into the operating room for the 11-hour surgery that would give him Ricky's heart. When Troy woke from the surgery, he opened his eyes and realized that, for the first time in months, he finally felt hungry.
It was a good sign.
Recovery and saying 'thank you'
In the months ahead, Troy began to gain strength. He put on weight, became an enthusiastic advocate for organ donation and was overwhelmed with gratitude for Ricky Martinez.
Four months after the transplant, he sent a letter to the Martinez family. He sympathized with their loss and thanked them for his heart. When more than a year had passed with no response, Troy sent a second letter. This time, the Martinez family responded, and they wanted to meet him.
"It was just supposed to be a private meeting at first," Troy said. "But I had done a Donate Life (organ donation) event and did an interview with 23 News. So all three of the networks were out here for our meeting."
When seven members of the Martinez family walked into the Troys' Rockford home earlier this year, the meeting was a flurry of activity. There were news interviews to be done and introductions to be made. Then once the television cameras had cleared, the Martinez family and the Troy family sat down together.
Ricky's mother placed her hand on Troy's chest, letting herself feel the beat of her son once again.
"We sat at the table and talked about all sorts of stuff," Troy said. "They had pictures and a family album for us to browse through."
The meeting left Troy with an even greater appreciation for the heart that sustains him. He wants to live his life in a way that honors Ricky Martinez.
"Not only did I get a heart, but I got a very honorable heart," he said. "It makes it very easy for me to dedicate my life to keeping his memory alive."
To that end, Troy's days now are filled with work to promote organ and tissue donation. He's knocked on doors, passed out fliers and organized events -- all in the hopes that just one more person will become a donor.
After all, it only took one to save his life.
