Almost a year after reading SWIM:
A Memoir of Survival and corresponding with the author, Bill Coon, by
email, Facebook
and Twitter, I finally got to meet him in
real life in mid-October at the American Heart Heroes Regional Family
Conference in Gainesville, Florida. He was the featured speaker at the
conference, highlighting key messages of surrounding yourself
with people who support you, setting goals, digging deep and fighting for your life,
advocating for yourself, and taking good care of your health.
Born in 1989 with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, Bill is a
two-time heart transplant recipient. At 3 weeks old, he was the fourth infant
heart transplant performed in the Midwest, and the eighth in the nation. In
2009, he went into heart and kidney failure and suffered from cardiac
transplant vasculopathy. In late 2009, he received a new kidney and his
second heart. Since his recovery, he has been inspiring those with chronic and
critical illness to keep fighting. He is also a living testament to the
importance of organ donation.
During the conference, we spent some time Talking with Bill.
