When Hill entered the hospital in May, he was "literally dying of heart failure," said Barbara Pisani, D.O., a Heart transplant cardiologist and medical co-director of the Loyola´s Heart Transplant program. Hill was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, which means that his heart muscles were deteriorating – pumping blood less and less efficiently. Cardiomyopathy can strike at any age, and may be due to an infection, an autoimmune disease or other causes, but in Hill´s case, the cause was unknown.  

Before coming to Loyola, Hill was extremely sick. “I couldn´t even walk up a flight of stairs,’ he said. He had received last rites on five different occasions.  

In May, Hill´s surgeon, Hassan Nemeh, M.D., implanted a left ventricular assist device in Hill´s abdomen to buy time before a donor heart could be found. The device is considered a bridge to transplant, since it helps maintain the pumping ability of the crucial left ventricle in patients whose own hearts may not sustain them until transplant. That is how Hill lived for 14 weeks.   

For the Loyola Heart Tansplant program, Hill is another in a long line of success stories. Loyola began its heart transplant program in 1984 and in 1988 opened a 10-bed specialized heart transplant unit in the hospital, which was the first of its kind in the United States. Loyola is now recognized as the leader in Illinois and among the top 20 heart transplant centers nationwide, based on the number of transplants performed.   

When it comes to heart transplantation, quantity of experience and quality of care are directly related. Loyola´s extensive experience has enabled it to achieve a 90 percent survival rate one year after transplant, which is consistently higher than the national average of 86 percent. In addition, Loyola has been ranked as the best heart and heart surgery program in Illinois by U.S.News and World Report.   

“Our heart transplant program at Loyola has a proud history of success with hundreds of patients like Dennis Hill over the last 20 years,’ said Pisani, “For the future, we will continue to be among the leaders in providing the highest quality treatments and care for heart transplant patients.’  

In late August, Hill underwent a seven-hour operation, performed by Nemeh to implant his new heart. Two weeks later, he walked out of the hospital to resume his life. Hill is married, the father of two teenagers, Kevin, 19, and Alyssa, 17, and an employee of the Village of Arlington Heights.  

He looks forward to many more years with his family and to the simple pleasures of life, like resuming his favorite hobby: restoring vintage cars. His next project will be the 1965 Thunderbird convertible in his garage, which he will work on with his son Kevin. Now father and son look forward to showing off the results of their work in years to come at car shows in Illinois and Wisconsin.  

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