At the age of 27, Jonathan Pinkard was removed from the heart transplant list and was given only several months to live. But, things changed when he met Lori Wood, a 57-year-old nurse from the Piedmont Newnan Hospital in Georgia.
48 hours after they met, Wood asked Pinkard if she could adopt him and solve the issue preventing him from getting the much-needed heart.
Why Was Pinkard Removed from the Heart Transplant List?
The waiting list for organ transplants is long and takes time; so, patients are often evaluated in terms of whether they will be able to care for themselves after the transplant.
The evaluators therefore need to be sure that the patients will follow the orders of the doctors, show up for the appointments, and take the necessary meds.
However, for Pinkard, as a man with autism who was raised by his grandma who is no longer alive and a mother staying in a rehab facility, the evaluators had no guarantee that he would be able to comply with their terms.
Every time he would be discharged from the hospital, he was sent to a shelter, which isn’t a place that could care properly for a person after a transplant.
A Nurse Does the Kindest Act & Saves Pinkard’s Life
Wood, the nurse that was assigned to Pinkard, stated in a Facebook video she shared that they wouldn’t keep him on the list because of a lack of a support system.
So, she decided to become his support system. During the 2 days she was his nurse, she learned more about him. And, then she asked him if she could adopt him and together prove to the evaluators that there will be someone to care for him.
Mike Robertson, the CEO of Piedmont Newnan, said that the decision of Wood surprised everyone.
Although he’s aware that most caregivers are also people with big hearts, he hasn’t seen anyone like Lori. Besides needing a heart, Pinkard also needed support from caregivers and she decided to become one-she officially adopted him.
Wood also Took Pinkard in Her Home to Provide Care
Wood recalls how she knew little about Pinkard; however, after he moved in with her, they got along very well. They connected over their love for football and the popular Family Feud show.
She has her own chair and he has his own. They love watching game shows-Wood says how Pinkard is so loving.
Without doubt, we don’t see this immense kindness by a stranger for someone, but this is amazing. Wood showed us that kindness can be life-saving and that nurses are our superheroes.
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