Collections
ICU Nurse Adopts Autistic Man So He Could Get Life-Saving Heart Transplant
ICU nurse Lori Wood was used to seeing patients in desperate need of help and stepping in where she could. When she heard that Jonathan Pinkard needed a heart transplant but couldn’t receive one due to a missing requirement, Lori’s heart broke for him. The nurse couldn’t just sit idly by. So she made a decision that would change both Jonathan’s life and hers forever.
A Terrifying Dilemma
At work one day, 27-year-old Jonathan fell gravely ill. He was taken to Piedmont Newnan Hospital in Newnan, Georgia, where he came in contact with nurse Lori Wood. Jonathan, who was autistic, was told by doctors that he would need a heart transplant to survive. That news itself was scary but what was even more terrifying and shocking was Jonathan learning that he didn’t quite meet the requirements to receive one.
One of the conditions of getting a transplant is that the patient has to be responsible enough to take care of his health afterward and take any necessary medications. Jonathan had been in and out of the hospital for a few months and often stayed at a men’s shelter. He also had lost his grandmother in 2012 and his mother was in rehab so there was no one that could really help him out post-recovery. “Jonathan was very sick, but he wasn’t eligible for a transplant because he didn’t have a support system,” Lori said in an interview with TODAY.
A Unique Solution
After only two days of meeting and working with Jonathan, Lori saw that this was a special young man. She was devastated that these obstacles were affecting his chance to live. Knowing that he would die without this transplant, she felt compelled to step in to help him in a big way. So she asked Jonathan if she could be his legal guardian to help him out.
“I had a room, I was a nurse, I could take care of him. It wasn’t really anything I struggled about. It was just something that had to happen. He had to come home with me,” the nurse recalled in a video posted by the hospital. “At some point, God places people in situations in your life, and you have the choice to do something about it. And I guess…for this situation there was no choice. It really wasn’t anything I struggled about. He had to come home with me.”
An Unbreakable Bond
After Lori became Jonathan’s legal guardian, he was able to have his heart transplant and has been staying with Lori. The nurse is there to make sure he takes all of his medication (a whopping 34 pills a day) and takes him to doctor appointments. In addition to this, Lori is assisting Jonathan with becoming more of an independent adult by helping him with his credit score among other things.
The two have really developed a great bond that is much like mother and son. At Lori’s home, “Jonathan has his chair, and I have my chair,” she shared with TODAY. “We like game shows and high-five back and forth if we get an answer right. He is very loving.” For Jonathan, he is forever grateful that Lori stepped up to the plate to help save his life. “She treats me like one of her sons. I am truly thankful for that.” he shared. The man has plans to return to work very soon. “It’s kind of emotional, but at the same time, this has been a life journey for me,” Jonathan shared of his experience. “If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t be the person I am today.”
Collections
The Most Expensive High Schools In The United States, Ranked
Forget saving up for college, these high schools actually cost more than some of the most expensive university tuitions. Each year, 24/7 Wall Street puts out its official rankings of the most expensive high schools in the country. With those grades in mind, here’s which schools’ price tags made our list — and what exactly goes on inside those schools that makes them so coveted.
Collections
No Retreat, No Surrender: The Soldier Who Fought In World War II For Over 30 Years
World War II and the destruction it wrought on the planet had ended long ago, but for some reason, on a remote island, peace was yet to be felt. Perpetrated by culprits who nobody had been able to catch, fields were burned, airport runways were ransacked, and gunfire would occasionally spray out of the forest. As the body count began to climb, the question remained: who on Earth was this soldier still convinced the war was on?
Collections
The Once-Popular Purchasing Habits That Most Millennials Are Refusing To Buy Into
There’s no debate about it, times are changing. And with changing times comes changing demands for some of the products that used to be considered essential. For millennials, the age group born between 1981-1996, some of the products America used to not be able to live without are now being ditched all together. From household appliances to popular food products, read on to see some of the surprising effects of millennial buying habits.
