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Man hears his new heart for the first time

“I am so grateful. It was such a surreal, once-in-a-lifetime moment.”

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By Jessica Hehir-Smith via SWNS

This is the incredible moment a man woke up from surgery and heard his new HEART for the first time.

John Cavalieri, 41, suffered an electric shock at work which left him with a devastating diagnosis of heart failure.

He had climbed onto swing scaffolding on the exterior of a building and grabbed a damp tarp attached to the structure when the incident happened.

John became the grounding point between the building and the metal scaffolding and suffered an electric shock.

In October 2019, five months after the incident, John was officially diagnosed with heart failure and remained stable for a few years.

In June this year, John's heart crashed in and he was sent to the University of Pennsylvania Hospital, where he was placed on Milrinone - a medication that increases cardiac output.

Two months later, he suffered another crash.

After an unsuccessful couple of days of using a small heart pump (Impella) to maintain his blood flow and even being placed on life support (ECMO), John finally received a new heart.

His wife Michele Cavalieri, 46, captured the moment the doctor placed a stethoscope on John’s chest and let him listen to his new, healthy heart after months of agony.

John, who is an estimating director from New Jersey, said: “I am so grateful. It was such a surreal, once-in-a-lifetime moment.”

(Screenshot via Dailymotion)

Michele, who works as a bartender in New Jersey, said that whilst filming she just felt so grateful that her husband was alive.

43 days after the transplant, John was finally discharged and allowed to return home to his beloved family.

John’s road to recovery has been slow but John's wife says he's on the right path.

John has been sharing his journey on his TikTok where he reminisces on the extraordinary moment he received his life-saving transplant.

“I can’t describe how it felt to walk out those doors today," he said.

“From this day forward, I’ll never take life for granted. Please make sure to hug and kiss your loved ones a little tighter each day.

“From the bottom of my new heart, thank you to my Donor for giving me a second chance at life. I am forever grateful.

"I'd like to thank my wife, kids, family, friends, and everyone that supported me during this journey.

“I will begin a new chapter of healing and cherishing this new heart. Thank you God for being by my side every step of the way.”

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