SAN DIEGO — A 29-year-old man from Alpine discovered he’d need a heart transplant after contracting COVID-19 late last year. He received the heart transplant this summer and is now talking about his incredible journey back to health.
Dominique Hill said his life was changed forever after getting COVID-19 but after nearly a year of fighting for his life, he’s grateful to be here and recovering one day at a time.
“I tested negative by the end of that six weeks when I was in the hospital that first time. But by then, the virus had already done its thing to my heart,” Hill said.
Hill is a former athlete, and said he thought he was in the clear after beating COVID-19 late last year. But after his doctor took X-rays, he discovered his heart was severely damaged. He’d need a heart transplant as soon as possible.
“They were saying that I had to wait to be put on the transplant list, but with all of my test results it was showing that I wouldn’t have made it much longer if I didn’t have it,” Hill said.
Hill said because he was only 28 at the time, 6’2" and B-negative blood type, finding a match wasn't easy. His other vital organs were also starting to shut down, so he was hospitalized in March. Hill spent 105 days at Sharp Memorial Hospital mostly in isolation, while waiting for a donor. Miraculously, he found a donor in June, received the heart transplant and is now recovering.
“I have to cough because my lungs have to get used to opening up again and even with that exercise, I still had a collapsed lung on my right side that happened. So I had to get incubated for that for it to re-inflate. Everything else was just painful,” Hill said.
He’s taking 22 different medications a day that he said he’ll most likely need for the rest of his life. He said his doctor is still investigating if he had an undiagnosed heart condition that was exacerbated by contracting COVID-19.
Hill said by law he’s not allowed to know who his donor is for at least a year, but if the donor’s family is open to meeting him, he’s looking forward to it.