A Heart for Whitney

Twenty-five years ago, underneath the steady beat of a squad of cheerleaders clapping and stomping as they rallied local spectators into the collective joy of a high school sporting event, was another steady beat. The silent but tenacious heartbeat of one cheerleader, in particular, Whitney Hubbard. Her young heartbeat with determination to fuel each of Whitney’s high kicks and toe touches that should have come naturally for her teenage body was a constant trial for a heart with tricuspid atresia. God may have formed Whitney’s heart with a single ventricle, but He made up for it with determination and perseverance. However, many years later, her resolute heart had reached the bottom of its well of strength, and surrounded by loved ones, a doctor informed Whitney she needed a new heart.

Whitney and her husband, Edward, were college sweethearts. They met during their freshman year at the University of Alabama when mutual friends introduced them while on spring break. Edward saw how Whitney handled her ailment with grace and strength as something attractive to him and a part of what ultimately won his heart. “She didn’t let anything hold her back. Didn’t limit her ability.” Edward recalled of their time together in college. After winning Edward’s heart and their college experience behind them, the Hubbards purchased their first home in Bedford Place and have enjoyed their life and community there for the past fourteen years.

In January 2014, Whitney and Edward decided to expand their family. Knowing that Whitney would be physically unable to carry their child, they began looking into options such as surrogacy or adoption. After several consultations, a barrage of tests, and numerous trips up and down the roller coaster of their emotions, the sweethearts were resolved, knowing that the ball was rolling and the process was in motion to start their family. Then, one day, during Whitney’s annual checkup with her heart doctor in Chicago, the ball stopped rolling.

One of the tests performed during that visit discovered a life-threatening ventricular rhythm. This discovery opened the door for the word - “transplant.” Whitney had always known this word would walk through the door of her life, but that does not make the sting any less jarring. With her sweetheart and Mother by her side, she faced this new and scary obstacle with that same tenacity-filled heart that has fueled her all her life. Whitney’s Father was missing from the room that day; a medical device salesman who sold heart valves and often accompanied Whitney to her appointments whenever possible as more than just a supportive father. He also acted as her translator from “med speak” to layman's terms and, in turn, provided the sense of understanding and control Whitney needed to remain steadfast. Nonetheless, he answered the phone on the first ring when Whitney left the office and administered that same sense of control and understanding as he reassured her this was just another chapter and, as with all the other chapters, they would get through it together.

In October 2015, after months of tests and evaluation at UAB Hospital in Birmingham, Alabama, with one of the leading transplant teams in the nation, Whitney joined a group of roughly 3,000 individuals in need of a heart and was placed on the organ transplant waiting list. It is not hard to imagine the all-consuming anxiety accompanying this milestone—living with a constant dance between restless and eager while praying and remaining hopeful. Meanwhile, knowing what receiving the call you have been desperate for would mean.

When an organ donor crosses over to the other side, and the surgical recovery team begins the recovery procedure, the heart is the last organ to be removed. Once removed, the heart is viable for only four hours. So Whitney and Edward stayed close to Birmingham, never venturing more than two hours away.

The call came late in the evening on April 18, 2015. The rush of excitement and hopeful anticipation drove Whitney and Edward to the UAB Hospital Transplant Center. There was calm because they had received this call four months earlier. The first call came just before Christmas, preparations were made, and in the final hours, the transplant team concluded that this heart would be too big for Whitney, so they returned to waiting. This time, receiving the call was different because they knew what to expect. There were still so many unknowns and emotions, but also a peace that passes all understanding.

Whitney spent seven weeks in the hospital the first year, and their family and friends within their North River community were a pillar of support that they both could lean on. No one goes through life’s events alone, and if you allow your friends the honor of laughing with you, do not deny them the opportunity to cry with you and support you too. Whitney was brought to tears one day during a walk through the halls of her hospital unit. She marveled at how renewed and revived she felt even after a heart transplant and realized just how bad she must have felt before and offered up another broken hallelujah in gratitude for her new heart.

There are, of course, two sides to this coin. The arduous reality made all of this possible for Whitney. The untimely death of a young woman from Texas. At one time or another, we all have become painfully aware that sometimes, it is “a cold and broken hallelujah.” “Not a day goes by that I don’t think about her and do my best to honor her,” Whitney confessed. So Whitney leaves hearts in all sorts of places to remind her of her duty to honor the precious gift she received. She wears a heart-shaped necklace and places heart-shaped figurines throughout her and Edward’s Bedford Place home.

There is a unique perspective gained after a trial such as this. Even after a lifetime of doctors' offices, tests, open heart surgeries, and more, receiving a heart belonging to another person is eye-opening. “Once the actual surgery was over and I was on my way to healing, my perspective on life changed - you have a choice every day. You can choose to be happy; you can choose to have joy - it’s all about your perspective, and sometimes you have to change it.” Let Whitney’s words imprint on your heart. Let her story serve as a reminder that you have a choice. You get to choose your outlook. You get to write your own story. When you are facing a challenge or uncertainty, you can choose to face it with a heart like Whitney’s