Here's how 2 Central Mass. men will be forever linked through their heart transplants
SOUTHBRIDGE ― David Kornwolf and Jay Toland stopped for a photo outside Harrington Hospital. The two were about to head inside for their respective cardiac rehabilitation appointments, but there's more here that links these men.
Back in September, the day before Labor Day, Toland frantically drove 90 miles an hour eastbound on the Massachusetts Turnpike, with Kornwolf in the passenger seat.
“Timing was critical,” said Toland.
Critical because the 64-year-old Kornwolf had to get to Tufts Medical Center in Boston for a heart transplant. There's a tight window to get the operation — hours really — and the minutes were ticking away fast.
Mission accomplished, because Kornwolf made it to the hospital from his home in Oxford, got the transplant on Labor Day, and was discharged 10 days later.
“If not for Jay, I may not have a heart,” said Kornwolf, who said he’s feeling fine since the operation. He’ll take immunosuppressants for the rest of his life, so his body doesn't reject his new heart.
Minor miracle
How these two met and the resulting speedy Pike ride could be considered a minor miracle.
Kornwolf had shuttled between UMass Memorial Medical Center and Tufts for months to determine the condition of his heart. Problems started in March, and Kornwolf initially thought it was a bout of pneumonia. It was more serious, as doctors determined the lining of his heart had become dangerously thin.
A left ventricular assist device to help pump his heart was out of the question, because Kornwolf had lived alone since his wife, Denise, died in 2021. Doctors were concerned about who would help Kornwolf if the pump malfunctioned, or a power outage at home rendered the machine inoperable.
Chance meeting
The decision was made to put Kornwolf on the donor list for a new heart. It was Level 6, the lowest rung on the transplant waiting list for those stable enough to live at home while waiting for a heart.
It was during one of Kornwolf’s stays at Tufts that Toland introduced himself.
Toland lives in Sturbridge and is an “ambassador” for the HeartBrothers Foundation in Westborough. The nonprofit helps heart failure patients navigate the emotional roller-coaster ride to a transplant, and Toland spoke from experience.
He had a transplant in April, and HeartBrothers eased his anxiety during the process. Toland decided to pay it forward when he got the chance, and it happened when Kornwolf came into the picture. Toland shared his experience, offered words of encouragement and left his business card with Kornwolf, with instructions to call if he needed anything.
Weeks later Kornwolf was home and noticed a few calls on his cellphone that he assumed were unwanted solicitations. They weren’t, because within minutes his sister from Wisconsin called to tell Kornwolf that Tufts had just received a donor heart. He had to get to Boston right away for transplant surgery.
The donor heart was a "heart in a box." It's unlike a traditional donor heart from someone declared brain dead, when the heart is still beating and it's put on ice in a cooler for transport.
With a heart in a box, the donor heart isn't beating and it's not put on ice. The organ is resuscitated and put in a portable box to keep it warm. Transplant can take place up to 12 hours, rather than the four-hour window with a heart on ice.
Business card a lifesaver
With a new heart at the ready, Kornwolf faced a challenge to get to Boston. He didn't want to drive himself to Tufts, because he didn't know how long he would be in the hospital and worried there wouldn't be anybody to drive his car back to Oxford.
He figured an ambulance ride would be too expensive, because an earlier one to UMass Memorial cost him nearly $3,000. Taking an Uber was out of the question, because the nearest available drivers were in Worcester. Besides, he didn't know how to use the mobile app to order one.
Limo services were closed because it was Labor Day weekend, and his friends were out of town for the long weekend. Plus, not all the personal contacts in Kornwolf's new mobile phone had transferred over from his old one, further limiting his options for a ride.
With the clock ticking down for a new heart, Kornwolf needed to get to Boston. Then he remembered Toland’s business card.
“I called Jay, and he remembered me,” Kornwolf said.
Toland had just sat down for dinner with his wife when the call came in; “It was a God shot. My wife said, ‘This is what you do,’ so I went.”
The rest was a whirlwind, including the race down the Pike.
“(Jay) brought me, checked me in (to the hospital),” said Kornwolf. “He’s been through all this. They put the heart in on Monday, the next day. Tuesday, I was talking on the phone. Wednesday, I was already walking the halls.”
Like Kornwolf, the 62-year-old Toland said his health is good after his transplant, brought on after a massive heart attack three years ago. He sometimes feels blue from the ordeal, but is thankful for his life and his friendship with Kornwolf.
The two men with their new hearts are inextricably linked.
"My one heart saved two lives already,” said Toland. “If I didn’t get a heart, then (Kornwolf) wouldn’t have his.”
Contact Henry Schwan at henry.schwan@telegram.com. Follow him on X: @henrytelegram.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: HeartBrothers Foundation links 2 Central Mass. transplant recipients
