When Norman Stibbard talks about why he fought so hard to stay alive, he doesn’t mention medical breakthroughs. He talks about his grandchildren.
“That’s the only reason that you get out of bed, I think, because you’ve got your kids and your grandkids,” the 78-year-old Sydney grandfather says.
A few years ago, Norman wasn’t sure how much longer he would be around to see them. After years of heart problems, bypass surgery and other procedures designed to improve blood flow, his health began to deteriorate rapidly. He became constantly breathless, lost a significant amount of weight and found himself unable to do many of the things he had always taken for granted.
“The thing is, I had no energy. Everything was slow. I couldn’t walk up steps or walk up inclines,” he recalled. “I was running out of breath all the time.”
Once an active businessman, Norman was forced to sell his business and retire. He dropped from almost 100kg to the mid-60s. Even simple activities became difficult.
“I used to be able to go catching crabs and go into the water and set nets and things like that,” he said. “That stopped because I never had the strength. You lose a lot of strength when you lose a lot of weight.”
Eventually, he was diagnosed with advanced heart failure, doctors stabilised him with medication, but the outlook was bleak. Norman remembers being told there was little else that could be done and that, without a transplant, he may have only months left to live.
“It took a little while to sink in,” he said. “I still felt pretty good at that stage, but I lost a lot of weight and was feeling pretty lethargic.”
His local cardiologist referred him to Professor Christopher Hayward, a heart failure and transplant cardiologist at St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney, and what happened next changed the course of his life.
Many Australians assume a heart transplant is the only option for severe heart failure, but Professor Hayward says that is no longer the case.
Norman underwent extensive testing at St Vincent’s, but there was a problem. While a transplant remained a theoretical possibility, he was considered too frail to proceed immediately.
“Older patients typically face greater challenges with transplantation, so he was already at the limits of eligibility,” Hayward explained.
Instead, Hayward recommended a Left Ventricular Assist Device, or LVAD.
An LVAD is a surgically implanted, battery-powered pump that helps a weakened heart circulate blood throughout the body. For years, LVADs were mainly used as a temporary measure while patients waited for a transplant.
Today, they are increasingly being used as a long-term treatment option for some patients.
“LVAD technology opens a new pathway for those who are not eligible for heart transplant,” Hayward said.
“This means it can be used as a long-term treatment pathway and some patients can be removed from the heart transplant waiting list as it’s more suitable to their needs to have an LVAD long term.”
For Norman, the decision became less about extending life at all costs and more about living well.
Check out ‘Heart health and ageing into your 60s’
The recovery was not immediate, and Norman spent weeks in hospital following surgery.
At first, he remained weak and exhausted but gradually, small improvements began to appear.
“I could start to breathe a bit more,” he said. “I was better as far as eating and I started to put a little bit of weight on.”
Three years later, he describes living with the device as surprisingly manageable. Apart from regular care and precautions around water, daily life has largely returned to normal.
“It’s no big drama having an LVAD,” he said. “I know which way I’d rather be. I’d rather have the LVAD!”
There are limitations. He cannot swim and must carefully protect the device’s external components and he also requires ongoing specialist monitoring and blood-thinning medication.
But compared with where he was, the trade-off is easy.
Today, Norman is doing things he once feared might be impossible, including travel to Hong Kong and Greece with his grandchildren.
“I like to take them to places that they haven’t been before,” he said. “Kids love going overseas, and love going with their grandparents.”
His granddaughters keep horses on his property and one of his sons works alongside him there.
Family remains at the centre of everything.
For Professor Hayward, seeing patients reclaim these moments is one of the most rewarding aspects of his work.
“One of the most rewarding things is seeing someone like Norman getting out and doing the things he loves,” he points out. “Before receiving an LVAD, he wouldn’t have been able to leave the state, let alone travel internationally and share those experiences with them.”
Asked how he views life now, Norman doesn’t hesitate.
“Life’s probably just as good as it was when I was 73 or 74 before I got sick,” he said.
For a man once told he may have only months left, that’s a remarkable thing to be able to say.