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From Signing to Play College Sports to Needing New Heart in 2 Weeks, a Look at Sam Romano's Journey

By Jeff Toquinto on August 20, 2020 via Connect-Bridgeport.com

Sam Romano has curly hair. He has a lot of it. Right now, he has got a whole bunch of it.
 
In fact, his parents – Beth and John Romano – would like to see his blond locks trimmed back a bit. They have joked with Sam about it recently, but if he wants to keep it, well, they are fine with that.
 
“We’ll trade letting him keep his hair since he gets to keep his new heart,” said Beth.
 
For those who may not know, and it is highly unlikely you do not, 18-year-old Sam Romano had a heart transplant late Monday evening at Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown. It was the same Sam Romano who on August 4 signed a letter of intent to play college football and baseball at Glenville State College as a robust and seemingly healthy student-athlete.
 
Not even two weeks later, he needed – and received – a new heart. None of that was on the mind of Sam Romano, his mom and dad, or his brother on that day. There were smiles all around and the future looked bright.
 
Then, using a vernacular any sports family can understand, life threw a big curveball. It all started in a manner that did not seem too alarming. Sam was a bit sick, but it was not a red flag because his mother said the family had dealt with this before.
 
“Every year around this time his allergies kick in and he’ll get bronchitis-like symptoms,” said Beth. “He’s always been treated for it, and we know how to control it.”
 
This time, the family took a different approach. With Sam getting ready to head to Glenville State to begin his days as a Pioneer, he was going to need to be COVID-19 tested. The test came back negative.
 
Beth and John were still concerned. Their son was still coughing and, unlike past situations with the similar issues, he did not have an appetite.
 
“We wanted to make sure there were not other issues, such as pneumonia, so we sent him for a chest x-ray,” Beth said.
 
Sam was feeling good enough to go by himself. A short time later, as Beth was in a conference call, Sam’s father managed to get in touch with her.
 
“(John) said Dr. (James) Malone told him that the chest x-ray looked very abnormal and to get him to the emergency room,” said Beth.
 
From there, the journey began. The decision to get a chest x-ray had already paid off in not letting whatever they were dealing with go unchecked, but the thought was that he may have some sort of infection – still thinking it may be pneumonia related.
 
“The ER physician came back after doing a C-T scan of his lungs and said his lungs were clear,” said Beth.
 
While that eliminated pneumonia, other red flags emerged. Romano’s heart rate was in the 150s and other indicators that something was going on with his heart were also showing up through tests.
 
When John arrived, things had not gotten to the point of dire concern. Mom took Sam’s brother Jack to a baseball game. After that was complete, Beth and John learned Sam would have to wait to see a cardio consultant. Because of that, the mother and father made another decision that was critical. They decided to transfer Sam to Ruby Memorial.
 
Shortly after arrival in Morgantown, an EKG was performed. There were issues that were noted immediately, but Beth was hoping it was something bacterial causing his heart to be in the state that could be seen on the EKG; something an antibiotic IV could fix.
 
Even with Sam’s family having some heart issues, which is on his father’s side, the reason thinking an antibiotic could work is because of what the issues were on the family side. Those issues, said Beth, were not what the doctors at Ruby were looking at. At that point last Tuesday – August 11 – Beth and John Romano, along with their son, began the first of two waiting games.
 
Although he was stable that evening, things changed quickly last Wednesday morning, August 12. Beth was taken into the hallway at 7 a.m. to meet with the doctor.
 
“He immediately started talking about a heart transplant,” said Beth. “It just didn’t seem real. You’ve heard about an out-of-body experience, well, I had it. I was still hoping for a bacterial infection and that’s what you hear, and the doctors have to tell you everything; they have to prepare you for the worst.”
 
The heart, she said, was severely damaged. He was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy. Eventually, they will learn if it was the result of a viral or idiopathic situation to see if Jack needs to be checked, but for the time it is a moot point.
 
Sam was about to find out he needed a new heart. And the entire transplant team broke the news to him.
 
“They were graphic about it, and we were kind of in shock. Sam took it in, and did what they asked him to do,” Beth said. “I can’t tell you how good of a patient he was from the moment he found out and past the transplant.”
 
Needing a heart for a transplant is one thing. Getting a heart is another proposition. To start the process, he was placed on the national registry – UNOS – that determines age and risk. With his age, his situation, and the installation of a balloon pump into his leg to help keep his heart into rhythm for a period of up to two weeks, Sam Romano was well on his way up the list.
 
The second waiting game – waiting for a heart – was set to begin. The wait ended at 5 a.m. Monday morning when Beth and John got the news, along with their oldest son. There was a heart that was available for Sam Romano.
 
“With his situation, plus his body being in good physical condition, he was a good candidate,” said Beth.
 
The group learned about the heart from Dr. George Sokos, who had tried to get ahold of Beth on her cell phone, which was turned down. Sokos, knowing the urgency of getting things going, called the physician’s assistant situated on the floor who woke the family up and was on speaker phone.
 
“He had to get our verbal consent to proceed. I had such a knot in my throat and crying so hard I couldn’t talk,” said Beth. “Finally, I got out of the yes.”
 
Consent came all around, even from Sam, who at 18 had final say. And now, the final big leg of the journey was starting. By 7 p.m. that evening he was heading for transplant. By 8 p.m., surgery had begun.
 
“They told us we would have someone get with us about an hour before they were finished. At 10:30 p.m. a nurse told us he was 60 minutes out and they would start closing,” said Romano. “They let us know at that point, even though it was so early, there was some level of success.”
 
Before midnight, Sam Romano’s new heart was in place. It took no more than three hours and 45 minutes for the operation, Beth said.
 
“John and I wanted to see him, but they brought him up intubated, and told us it’s not a good thing for parents to see their kids that way. We were told they would get us when he was extubated,” said Beth.
 
Beth and John Romano expected a long wait after talking to the doctor. Again, there was hardly any wait.
 
“After he talked to us about seeing him, I shut my eyes and started saying a prayer. I don’t even think I got the prayer done,” said Beth. “The doctor popped his head back into the waiting room and told us to come back. We walked in and Sam was groggy, and he was begging for water.
 
“Honestly, I was surprised with how good he looked because you worry about swelling and not looking like himself,” she continued. “What I saw was my kid. Granted, it was my kid who needed a haircut, but that was my kid.”
 
Beth said the medical staff is cautiously optimistic about Sam’s chances. Today, there is likely a procedure to do a biopsy to see if his body is not rejecting the new heart. Soon, he may be able to leave ICU and be on a regular floor. In two weeks, if all goes well, Beth said Sam could be home.
 
“We hope all goes well and know there are a lot of things that could change his timeline. It’s like every system in his body needs to reboot and fire up. So far, everything has fired up beautifully,” said Beth Wednesday afternoon.
 
Beth said both she and John are expecting things to be a little difficult through today as Sam is moving more as his chest tries to heal. She said adverse reactions Sam has had to pain medication have caused some impact there.
 
One area the operation or treatments have not impacted is his sense of humor.
 
“It’s still there,” said Beth. “He is having a lot of fun with the nurses. They have just been fantastic. The entire medical staff has been fantastic.”
 
Beth said she was so proud to be involved with the team at Ruby Memorial.
 
“It’s right here in West Virginia,” she said. “When we were younger if you had the resources, you went to Cleveland Clinic. This is in our backyard. The expertise is right here.”
 
Someone else was right there as well. Although she had praise for the doctors and the nurses who were all “wonderful to deal with,” she got some special attention from back home.
 
Chris Lindsey, who like Sam is a BHS alum and a former state champion football player, introduced himself to the family. He is the nurse manager for the CVICU at the West Virginia Heart and Vascular Institute inside of Ruby.
 
“He runs the show on the floor, and he could not have been any more kind or any nicer to all of us,” said Beth.
 
Beth ended it with words her and Sam’s father John have for the community. She said the outpouring has come from family, friends, casual acquaintances, and people they do not even know.
 
“I don’t know if there is enough ink, enough words, to say how thankful we are for the support,” she said. “I’ve heard from people I’ve worked with 20 years ago and folks from high school and college. It has been unbelievable for me, and John who is experiencing the same thing…
 
“I don’t know how we’ll be able to return all of the gratitude, the blessings, the kindness and prayers. I just don’t’ have the words. We are so overwhelmed,” she continued. “I’ve never been more touched or had my eyes opened wider to goodness at a time I didn’t think there was a lot of good left in the world. I’m thankful to see this goodness; John, myself and Sam all are.”
 
The Romano family is asking for individuals to consider being organ donors. Individuals can do so by clicking HERE.
 
Editor’s Note: Top photo shows Sam Romano playing UNO with one of the ICU nurse’s Wednesday, while he’s shown in a screen shot doing a “victory lap” less than a day after having a heart transplant followed by a photo Wednesday of Sam with some of the nursing staff taking care of him. That followed by a pre-surgery photo of getting a kiss from his mother Beth. The photo second from the bottom shows the entire family during Sam’s senior night with BHS football. At the bottom, Sam takes a walk outside with the WVU football stadium in the background Wednesday evening. Top photos and last photo used with permission of the Romano family. The second to last photo is by Ben Queen Photography.


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