Mayard Gets A New Heart On Valentine’s Day

What’s the perfect Valentine’s Day gift?
Jewelry, candy and flowers will always be popular answers.
Kelly Derouen sent an e-mail to family and friends last weekend to let them know that her husband Phil Mayard of Meaux had received “the Perfect Valentine’s Gift” on Feb. 14.
Mayard, 51, in need of a heart transplant got the call last Saturday that a match had been found.
“I just wanted to share some wonderful news with all of you,” Derouen said in the e-mail. “The heart was flown in from Shreveport and everything went as planned for the 8-hour surgery.”
Mayard is currently continuing his recovery at Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans.
“They have him standing and walking around a little,” Derouen said Thursday morning.
Mayard’s journey to this moment began last fall when his doctor informed him that his heart pumped 90 percent less efficiently than it should. Dr. (John) Leleux installed a pacemaker for Mayard on Oct. 4, 2014. The process would only be a temporary fix.
“Dr. Leleux said that his heart was too damaged and he needed to go to Ochsner for a LVAD or transplant if possible,” Derouen explained. “Phil was not getting enough circulation in which his feet became purple and he could not think straight sometimes.”
Mayard and Derouen have been married since February of 2011. He is close to his three step-children, David Derouen Jr., 19, Amber Derouen, 22, and Autumn Derouen, 16.
“Phil has always been close to Autumn,” his wife said.
It is that bond that pushed a leery Mayard toward the transplant.
“Phil did not want to go to Ochsner,” Derouen said. “I used what I call the AUTUMN CARD. I told him he had 10 days to live!!! Ten days you would not even see Autumn dressed for Halloween. Or you can live for 10 years...see Autumn graduate, walk her on her wedding day, and hold her children and be a granddad. It’s your choice 10 Days or 10 Years!
“It’s his love for her that made him agree to have the transplant.”
Agreeing to do the transplant was the first step. Waiting would be the next. Doctors initially told the family it could be nearly a year before a match would be found. Mayard’s own genetics helped.
“He’s AB positive,” Derouen said of his blood type, “so he can take any heart.”
On Valentine’s Day, Mayard received the call that one had been found. Only he missed the first call.
“We were eating at a restaurant in Lafayette,” Derouen said. “He was covered in wing sauce. It was loud, so he went outside to return the call. When he came back in he was crying. I began to cry.
“Nerves, excitement and fear were all rolled together.”
Mayard and Derouen left around 1 p.m. on Valentine’s Day to make the trip to New Orleans.
“The three-hour road trip seemed (to take) forever.”
There are ups and downs in life, moments that bring great joy and others that create sadness. Mayard and Derouen experienced it all in a matter of hours.
“We arrived in the parking tower at the hospital and received another call,” Derouen said. “The heart had expired. Phil was devastated. So we went to a restaurant next door to the hospital and ate to calm down before getting back on the road (home).”
Then came yet another phone call.
“Upon finishing dinner his phone rang again,” Derouen said. “The transplant team did not take as long as they thought, the heart was still good.
“It was a go.”
The two rushed back to the hospital. Doctors completed the surgery in the early hours of Feb. 15.
“Who get’s a heart on Valentine’s Day?,” Derouen said Wednesday morning with a smile, now able to reflect on a moment that will change her husband’s life.
There is still work to be done.
“We know he has a long way to recovery,” Derouen said, “but with prayers, love and support we will get through this.
“I would like to thank everyone who prayed for us.”
There has indeed been plenty of support.
“Mr. Bill Broussard of Abbeville has been a mentor for Phil,” Derouen said. “He has been so emotionally supportive. He would pick Phil up and take him to support group meetings.
“I would really like to thank him.”
There are others.
“His sister Maria and her husband Farley (Painter) are always there,” Derouen said. “I want to thank Dr. Kerry Schexnaider and Dr. John Leleux. I also want to thank the doctors and staff at Our Lady of Lourdes in Lafayette and at Ochsner in New Orleans. I work at Wells Fargo and I want to thank my bosses, Ken Myers from Abbeville and Greg Bordelon from Opelousas. My parents, Sue and Maurice Ramke, have helped greatly.”
All of the support and strength were important. That someone signed up to be an organ donor made the difference.
“I have always been an organ donor,” Derouen said. “This just drives that home.”
Mayard will soon be home, a full life ahead of him. Like so many, he and his wife will celebrate Valentine’s Day on Feb. 14, 2016, but for Phil and Kelly, it will be so much more.
“It will be the anniversary of a rebirth,” Derouen said. “I think that’s an appropriate way to look at it.”