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One by one, members of Cody Stebel’s family placed a stethoscope on the chest of Gene Shimandle and listened to the thump-thump-thump of his heartbeat.
And for a few brief moments, it felt like Cody was still with them.
(Video: FOX 8 Cleveland)
“A lot of tears were shed,” recalls Gene, 61, of that overcast morning in Aurora, Ohio, last Thanksgiving Day. “I have a gift I’m never going to be able to repay.”
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Gene knows a lot about hearts. For more than three decades, as both a nurse and volunteer, he has taught approximately 65,000 people to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), the emergency lifesaving procedure applied when a person’s breathing or heartbeat has stopped. But when his own heart began to fail, in 2005, he at first brushed off the fatigue and shortness of breath as an upper respiratory infection.
Finally persuaded by his wife, Dina, and friends to go to Cleveland Clinic for an exam, he suffered a stroke in route. At the hospital, he met Dr. Randall Starling, a cardiologist, who delivered the shocking diagnosis: cardiomyopathy, a disease of the heart muscle that causes it to swell and hampers its ability to pump blood.
“Gene had a stroke because he had a blood clot in his heart,” explains Dr. Starling. “And he had a blood clot in his heart because it was so large, and the blood flow was so slow, that a clot formed. It’s something we often see in patients with very, very weak hearts.”
Thus, began a 12-year journey for Gene and his family. While medications helped improve his heart’s blood flow, the effects were short lived. Twice, he was implanted with a left ventricular assist device (LVAD), a pump that works in concert with the heart to improve blood flow. And each time, the LVAD clotted after a few months.
After the second LVAD failure, Dr. Starling had what he called a “heart-to-hear” discussion with Gene about the only remaining viable option – a heart transplant. Gene agreed, he was placed on the transplant wait list – and on May 8, 2017 a heart was found.
“All along, I felt faithful that a heart would show up when I needed it,” says Gene.
It did. And it was Cody’s. A 20-year-old resident of Norwalk – and organ donor — was severely injured in a car accident April 28, and died of his injuries on May 8. And his heart was a perfect match for Gene, who immediately rushed to Cleveland Clinic to prepare for the transplant.
“I wasn’t absolutely sure this would ever happen,” says Gene. “For larger men, it’s rare to get a heart big enough to function. I woke up a few days later and I had a new heart ticking in my chest.”
After completing cardiac rehabilitation, Gene now functions better than he has in years. The improvement was so significant that he decided to enter the 11th Annual Turkey Trot 5k Run/Walk in his hometown of Aurora.
After seeing a story about Gene on a local news station, Cody’s parents realized that Gene – who had sent them a letter of gratitude, anonymously (per organ donation guidelines) – was the recipient of their son’s heart. So they and more than a dozen other family members traveled to Aurora to meet Gene at the race, cheer him on and take turns using the stethoscope to hear his beating heart.
As Cody’s father told Gene, “It was Cody’s first 5K.” Gene’s, too.
In the months since their meeting, Gene joined the Stebel family for a Christmas gathering and he vows to continue living in a way that will make them proud.
“I’ll do my best to make them honored to have Cody’s heart beating in my chest.”
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Cleveland Clinic is a nonprofit multispecialty academic medical center that integrates clinical and hospital care with research and education. Located in Cleveland, Ohio, it was founded in 1921 by four renowned physicians with a vision of providing outstanding patient care based upon the principles of cooperation, compassion and innovation. Cleveland Clinic has pioneered many medical breakthroughs, including coronary artery bypass surgery and the first face transplant in the United States. Cleveland Clinic is consistently recognized in the U.S. and throughout the world for its expertise and care. Among Cleveland Clinic’s 81,000 employees worldwide are more than 5,743 salaried physicians and researchers, and 20,160 registered nurses and advanced practice providers, representing 140 medical specialties and subspecialties. Cleveland Clinic is a 6,690-bed health system that includes a 173-acre main campus near downtown Cleveland, 23 hospitals, 276 outpatient facilities, including locations in northeast Ohio; Florida; Las Vegas, Nevada; Toronto, Canada; Abu Dhabi, UAE; and London, England. In 2023, there were 13.7 million outpatient encounters, 323,000 hospital admissions and observations, and 301,000 surgeries and procedures throughout Cleveland Clinic’s health system. Patients came for treatment from every state and 132 countries. Visit us at clevelandclinic.org. Follow us at twitter.com/CleClinicNews. News and resources available at newsroom.clevelandclinic.org.
Editor’s Note: Cleveland Clinic News Service is available to provide broadcast-quality interviews and B-roll upon request.
