LEGENDS HEART

William Lewis Brown, an immeasurable husband, dad, provider, and friend. His strength, his deep love, his infectious beautiful smile, his wisdom, his knowledge - and his fight has been embedded in us. That type of love remains forever victorious. That’s right, we will forever carry with us, his legacy. As he often told us, “Ain’t no expiration date on me”.

On February 28, 2019, at 1am I received a call from my mother saying that dad was in the emergency room and that he had suffered a heart attack. I rushed to get there as fast as I could – not knowing what to expect. Our family gathered in a waiting room. Silence penetrating the air as we waited for news. Hours later the doctor comes in to speak with us, and he tells us that dad suffered a major heart attack called the “widow-maker”. It’s called the widow-maker because it’s the deadliest heart attack you can have. The chance of surviving this type of heart attack is less than 6%. Thankfully, our prayers were heard, and we would take our father home to recover.

However, the road to recovery was no easy path. Dad’s heart suffered major damage and was functioning at only 6%. Diagnosed with congestive heart failure, dad had to give up things that he loved – work, fishing, and hunting. Can you imagine having to give up the things that make you who you are?

Because his heart was so severely damaged, dad would need more than a stent to sustain his life. And so, he had surgery for not one but two devices. The first device would circulate blood throughout his body. The second device would shock him when having abnormal heart rhythms. Over the course of two years, there were countless visits to the emergency room and at times being admitted. With determination to survive, the support of his defibrillator, and LVAD (Left Ventricular Assisted Device) - which he named “Fighter” - dad went on to live his new life with a heart barely functioning.

A hell of a fight it was! Two years after undergoing surgery for his LVAD and the defibrillator, dad was called with the news of a new heart! Hospitalized for almost 5 months in the ICU, dad had many post-surgery complications. From rejection of the donor heart, primary graft dysfunction, multiple drug-resistant infections to numerous surgeries and procedures, removal of his large right intestine, extreme malnourishment, severe sepsis, multi-organ failure, as well as necrosis. Dad never stopped fighting! Doctors and nurses were amazed at his fight and volition. This new heart that was to be our new beginning – it was strong, healthy, and beating. But the complications from the heart transplant surgery violently conquered all hope. On March 18, 2021, at 3:47pm our father took his final breath.

My name is Temeka. I am the 4th daughter of Mr. Brown. This is only a snippet of our dad’s journey. We are to tell the story of our loss in hopes that other families that are facing this same journey, are well informed of all the risks that are associated with heart transplant surgery.

Join us as we chronicle the last two years of our father’s life. In this documentary, we will explore…

What is congestive heart failure?

What are the risks associated with heart transplant surgery?

Was there something else that could have been done to save Mr. Brown's life?

What advice would we give to other families?

A portion of the proceeds from this fundraiser will go to funding the documentary that is in pre-production: “Heart of A Legend – Robbed of A Second Chance, The Bill Brown Story”.

Another portion of the proceeds will go to the American Heart Association.

We hope that you will find it in your Heart, to donate.

Thank you on behalf of my family and my father.