Carolina Strong: Birth of daughter motivates recovery for heart transplant recipient

CHARLOTTE — A new father is cherishing every moment after a fight to survive. Dillion Sutton said he has battled heart issues for the last three years.

However, things took a dramatic turn in June while Sutton was on a trip to Charleston.

“It’s like I just hit a wall,” he said.

Sutton said it became hard for him to breathe. He was then rushed to a hospital where he was told his heart was failing.

“They put me on an ECMO machine. I couldn’t move or anything. I had to lay in bed for a straight week; I couldn’t get up; I couldn’t do anything,” he elaborated.

Sutton was in intensive care while waiting for a heart transplant.

All of this was occurring just weeks away from his wife delivering their baby girl.

“I was worried about not being able to be there,” Sutton expressed.

Then, just a week after being on the transplant list, they got the phone call.

“‘How close was Dillon to death?’ I would say that if he didn’t get a transplant, we would be having an entirely different conversation,” said Dr. Sanjeev Gulati with Sanger Heart and Vascular Institute.

Gulati said he performs more than 100 heart and mechanical heart pump transplants a year. But what surprised him about Sutton was his motivation after surgery.

“What’s really interesting is that the patients that tend to do well are the patients that are motivated,” Gulati continued.

And Sutton’s drive was clear; he wanted to be next to his wife when she delivered their daughter.

“I was trying to get home to her the day after my surgery, but they were like, ‘You can’t leave that early,’” Sutton said.

Less than seven days after his transplant, Sutton said he was able to ring the bell and go home. Days after day, he witnessed his daughter being born.

“It was wonderful for me. That is what I really wanted—to be by her side,” Sutton expressed.

Every day, there are people across the Carolinas doing extraordinary things. They’re giving back, they’re helping each other, and they’re making a real difference. We’re highlighting the best in our community in our series, Carolina Strong.

Know somebody who’s making a positive impact? Let us know here.

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