Patients Give Heartfelt Thanks for New Life

Twisting a long balloon into the shape of a dog, Luther the clown clearly had a special bond with his audience Sunday that went beyond the normal fascination children have with neon-red hair and giant, floppy shoes.

Luther, alter ego of Gerry Robinson of West Hills, shared something far more dramatic in common with those he entertained: He, like many of them, is alive today because of a heart transplant.

Proving that people can have a big heart even when it’s not the original equipment, Robinson, a professional clown, was the featured entertainer at the annual UCLA Heart & Lung Transplant Picnic, which drew about 200 patients, family members and hospital staff to Valley Christian Athletic Assn.’s park in Encino.

In one of his first performances since he received a new heart in November, Robinson, 62, seemed to enjoy clowning for fellow transplant patients as much as they enjoyed watching him.

“It cheers them up. The reaction is just so fantastic,” said Robinson, who also worked as a purchasing agent before he was diagnosed two years ago with congestive heart failure.

For years before his illness, Robinson volunteered to entertain children in hospitals.

“Being in the same boat that they are is something new,” he confessed.

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Among his audience Sunday was Cameron Hall, 5, a heart transplant patient from Huntington Beach.

Cameron gave Robinson a shy “hi” from the arms of her mother, Colleen, who said Saturday was a special day--the 18-month anniversary of her daughter’s life-saving operation at UCLA Medical Center.

Looking over at some of the nurses and doctors from the medical center, Hall said “They are incredible. The best.”

UCLA has the largest transplant program in the country, performing about 90 operations annually, nearly 950 since the program began, according to Julie Chait, a nurse who serves as transplant coordinator for UCLA.

The outdoor gathering and an annual holiday party give the patients and hospital staff a chance to celebrate their remarkable accomplishments, Chait said.

“It’s a great time for all the transplants and all their families to get together, to share their happiness of another year of life,” she said. “They encourage each other. They help each other out.”

Sunday’s event was also a treat for the staff, said Michelle Hamilton, a cardiologist, as she watched some of her patients playing softball.

“Seeing them live active lives like this makes it all worthwhile,” Hamilton said.

However, the waiting list for a new heart is up to two years long, and about 20% of patients nationwide die before they can receive a new organ, Hamilton said.

For many of those who do get a transplant, including Carolyn Furst of Ventura, the difference is dramatic.

“I was really ill, on oxygen. I have a lot more pep now,” said Furst, who has kept busy with shuffleboard and golf since she received a transplant 10 years ago.

Simple tasks, such as climbing a flight of stairs, were difficult for many before their surgery.

“It’s completely different,” said Mark Sabin, 36, biologist from Bakersfield.

Wearing a T-shirt that read “I had a change of heart--twice,” Sabin spent much of the afternoon playing softball, fielding fly balls in the outfield and then coming in to swat a couple of base hits.

Sabin’s original heart was severely damaged by Kawasaki disease, which caused him to suffer two heart attacks as a teenager. He had his second heart transplant eight years ago.

“I live a completely normal life now,” he said.