Don Leake of Orange County wears his heart on his waist. Due to a lack of organ donors, it could be years until he has an actual heart pumping in his chest.
Patients, like Leake, keep their heart pumping in the meantime by carrying a Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD). But Leake is facing an uncertain future on several fronts.
Don Leake says, "Without it, I probably wouldn't be alive."
"I love him dearly and I just want everything to turn out well for him" says his sister-in-law, Wanda Baker.
Two years ago, Don Leake was in critical condition because the lower chambers of his heart weren't working properly. As he waits for a heart transplant, this LVAD works like a cell phone.
"With two batteries and a system controller that is in this bag" Leake says.
Leake's life relies on charging the batteries every 8-10 hours to keep his heart blood flow normal.
"Its a bridge that takes you from this critical condition that your in to the time you receive your heart transplant," explains Leake.
While Leake sleeps, he loses the bag and plugs into his heart mate.
"Once you get the system down you do okay with it," says Leake.
As daunting as this seems, Leake says he is lucky, "A lot of people actually need one of these and cant get them."
More than 250,000 patients each year don't have a viable treatment option according to the American Heart Association and due to a lack of organ donors, Leake's wait could be long.
And there's another issue. His insurance is about to run out, so family and friends are raising money to help out.
A benefit concert for Leake will be held at the Orange Assembly of God Church in Orange County on April 28 at 6 p.m. His group, 'Greater Love' had 3 hits on the national charts, and his family hopes that he can continue to hear that voice in the years to come.
"It wouldn't be right to waste a voice like that," says his cousin, Maggie Hawkins
Donations can be sent to:
Donald R. Leake Transplant Fund
Post Office Box 775
Culpeper, VA 22701
