Double Transplant Gives Bill a Second Chance

When he thinks about the decade that led him to Saint Luke’s, Bill Stockdale’s memories come in snapshots: the rising blood pressure in 2013 that sapped his energy during menial chores, a family history of heart disease, and, finally, waiting for a new heart. 

Bill’s father passed away at age 41 from congestive heart failure, and Bill, now 57, wanted to do what he could to overcome his family’s health history. Bill had high blood pressure, and over the next decade, his condition deteriorated despite treatments from local physicians he saw in his hometown of Carthage, Missouri.  

But his care team ultimately recommended Bill see a heart failure expert at a hospital that specializes in heart transplants.  

That’s what led him to establishing care with Andrew Kao, MD, a heart failure and transplant cardiologist at Saint Luke’s Cardiovascular Consultants and Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute, which is consistently recognized among the top heart transplant programs in the nation.  

Reasons to go on 

Tests showed Bill had an enlarged heart, and given his health history, he likely had less than a year to live unless he opted for a heart transplant.  

This was an emotional decision for Bill and his family, but he had plenty of reasons to move forward. 

“Do I want to see my kids and grandkids grow up, or do I want them to be without their grandpa?” Bill remembers asking himself. “I was hesitant about transplant at first, but then I thought, ‘No, you have to do this.’” 

It was that same mindset that spurred Bill on when his journey to a new heart grew more complex: Tests revealed he also needed a kidney transplant. Chronic high blood pressure is a common cause for kidney failure, which was compounded by the fact Bill’s heart couldn’t efficiently deliver oxygenated blood. 

50-plus days later 

Bill arrived at Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute on March 28, 2024. He started on an Impella® heart pump device, which helped promote strong blood flow as he waited for the call that could save his life.  

Because he needed both a heart and a kidney, and because those organs had to come from the same donor, Bill’s wait was longer than most.  

Still, he stayed steady and hopeful, supported by his family and the clinical teams who walked the halls with him, encouraged him, and never let him feel alone. 

Although Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute has performed almost 1,100 heart transplantations in its 41-year history, only about 26 of those have entailed a double transplantation with another organ. Such procedures pose both medical and logistical challenges, requiring precise coordination between the surgical teams.  

The kidney transplant team at Saint Luke’s Hospital Abdominal Transplant has performed nearly 2,500 kidney transplants. Over the past decade, simultaneous heart and kidney transplants have become more common, with an 88.4% survival rate after one year according to a recent study. Saint Luke’s performs an average of four per year. 

After more than 50 days, Bill finally got the call. 

Double transplant 

On May 11, 2024, Bill’s surgical team, led by John Davis, MD, transplanted his new heart, followed by his kidney, led by Jameson Forster, MD, the next day. 

Bill’s team waited 24 hours between surgeries to ensure his new heart was functioning well—a deliberate, lifesaving process to ensure he could handle both procedures.  

“Organs are precious resources that must be allocated carefully,” Dr. Davis says. “To receive two organs is really a blessing. Bill has demonstrated that he was most deserving of these gifts. We have an incredible team of doctors and caregivers in our transplant programs, but how well our patients do depends a great deal on them.” 

And Bill responded to his new heart and kidney as well as anyone could hope. 

“A combined heart and kidney transplant is more complicated than the two procedures alone,” Dr. Forster says. “It is very gratifying that Bill has done so well, which is a testament to his commitment to his health.”  

Life in snapshots 

Bill has put in immense work on his road to recovery. After his transplants, he could walk only a few steps before needing to rest. He needed to slowly rebuild the stamina and muscle he had lost.  

Within a couple of months of rehab, Bill began to feel like himself again—sometimes he felt even better than before. He credits everyone including his doctors, nurses, transplant coordinators, and especially his donor and their family for giving him not just more time, but a better future.  

“Not that I ever wanted someone to die for me to live,” he says, “but I’m grateful every day for what their gift meant.” 

Today, Bill manages his blood pressure with a single medication. His new heart is strong, his new kidney is working well, and his gratitude is abundant. 

Since first hearing that he would have less than a year to live without a transplant, Bill has made numerous memories: birthdays, anniversaries, holidays. 

“My oldest grandson turns 16 next year, so he’s wanting to drive and is almost out of school,” Bill says. “My youngest grandson will be starting kindergarten next year. Those are things you don’t want to miss.” 

About Saint Luke’s Transplant Program 

For almost 40 years, Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute has been the region's leader in heart transplantation, having performed nearly 1,100 transplants and counting. Saint Luke’s cardiac transplant team—cardiologists, surgeons, anesthesiologists, and multitude of sub-specialists, along with our nurses, coordinators, and other critical staff—work seamlessly together to make this program one of the premier heart transplant programs in the country. 

Saint Luke’s is also a leader in kidney transplantation—performing the first successful kidney transplant in the Kansas City area in 1969 and the first living kidney donation surgery via laparoscopy in the region. 

Get more information about Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute.