Local mom back home and healing after lifesaving transplant

People often take for granted the simple things in life — seeing one’s spouse and children every day, making dinner, and routine tasks such as walking up a flight of stairs.

Erica Shea with her husband, Dave, and their son, Ryder

But after enduring a string of life-threatening medical complications and a two-year wait for a new heart, Erica Shea is finally on the road to recovery and is cherishing every moment of her “new normal” life.

A former Canton resident and 2003 CHS graduate, Erica had successful transplant surgery on January 18, and she recently returned to her Brockton home with her husband, Dave, and their young son, Ryder.

Erica wants to publicly thank all of the people in Canton and beyond who graciously donated over $10,500 through a GoFundMe campaign. And the donations didn’t stop there. People brought food to her family while she was in the hospital and donated Christmas gifts for Ryder and even shelving for their home.

“Canton is such a supportive town,” she said. “People were coming to our house to drop off toys for Ryder and food for Dave when I was in the hospital. People I didn’t even know, donations from all over town, including the Canton Firefighters Union. Anonymous donors. I am still getting messages of support and people checking up on me.”

There is no doubt that life for Erica, a very personable and friendly young woman, has been trying.

In 2007, she was diagnosed with Stage III Hodgkin’s lymphoma, which was followed by six months of chemotherapy treatment. She also had Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), which doctors said would prevent her from getting pregnant. But in 2011, the Sheas learned that they were going to be parents, and their son, Ryder, was born on December 4, 2011.

But their joy was short-lived. When Ryder was just four days old, Erica began having trouble breathing. She was diagnosed with end-stage congestive heart failure and later went into a coma for six days. Doctors told her that her illness was due to complications from her chemotherapy as well as her pregnancy and labor.

In December 2013, Erica was placed on the national waiting list for a heart transplant, but finding a donor became a challenge. As she told the Citizen last February, “I have a rare blood type. I had a blood cancer. The donor can’t have certain anti-bodies that would compromise my immune system.”

Because of her high anti-body count, Erica’s odds of receiving an acceptable match were estimated at one in 100.

In an effort to improve her chances, Erica received an intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) treatment and then in August went through plasmapheresis with chemotherapy, which made her so weak that she had to use a walker.

Around Christmas time, Erica received news that she was at the top of the list to receive a transplant, but finding a match was still proving to be difficult.

Finally, on January 18 at 8:30 a.m., Erica received the call that she had been desperately waiting for. She was told that a heart had been found and she had three hours to get to Tufts Medical Center in Boston. Later that same day, at 4:30 p.m., Erica went into the operating room, and when she awoke the next morning following a 12-hour surgery, her first thoughts were that she could breathe again on her own.

She wasn’t out of the woods yet, however. Facing the very real possibility of transplant rejection, her body underwent several stages to accept the heart. She received several high-dose steroids in addition to thymoglobulin, which suppresses the body’s immune system to help prevent rejection.

After several attempts, Erica’s body began to accept the heart and she finally returned home on February 11. “It was simply amazing to sleep in my own bed,” she said.

Interviewed on Sunday, February 21, Erica said she now takes 40 pills a day and receives an IV and antibody medicine. She still doesn’t venture out much. She does a stair workout and tries to do one more stair than the previous day. She also cooks dinner every night and gets Ryder ready for preschool every day.

“I am seeing progress every day,” she said. “Every day, I am doing a little bit more.”

Erica was scheduled to return to the hospital today for a checkup, and if all goes well, the checkups will be reduced from every two weeks to once a month.

Erica is excited to be starting an online course at UMass Lowell and would like to pursue a degree in child psychology. She said if all goes well, then she might consider starting work in a year.

She is so grateful for the heart transplant and plans to check with the organ donor company to see if she can reach out to the family of the donor.

Erica acknowledges that she still has a long road ahead. Her immune system is not fully healthy, and while it can get stronger over time, she will always have to be careful about human contact. For example, she cannot garden and will have doctor’s appointments for the rest of her life.

But at 30 years old, she is still very young and has a lot to look forward to every day — including all those “little things” that are so easy to take for granted.

Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=32635

Posted by Mike Berger on Mar 4 2016. Filed under Features. Both comments and pings are currently closed.