Tied to a 400-lb. 'heart,' man awaits new wonder

400-lb Heart - Images by Pat Shannahan

These images are from a photo story I am working on about Charles Okeke. In the fall, doctors removed his ailing heart and replaced it with a Total Artificial Heart. The new heart is powerd by a 400-lb driver that must go everywhere with him. For the past 340+ days he has been trapped in the hospital waiting for a heart transplant or for modern medicine to find an answer. There is hope that the company that makes the heart he currently has will get permission from the FDA to try out a new artificial heart system that weighs 12 lbs. If he is able to get that he will be able to leave the hospital and live at home with his wife and three children.

To read our story in The Arizona Republic click here.

Pat Shannahan
@pshannahantwitter
www.patshannahan.com