Donor’s ‘heart of a lion’ saved single dad Jayden Cummins

Almost everyone had lost hope that single dad Jayden Cummins could make it through his coma, brought on serious heart problems, but not his 14-year-old son Henry.

Jayden Cummins survived with an artificial heart and trained at Anytime Fitness to keep his strength up, until a donor heart was available for transplant. Picture: John Appleyard

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Almost everyone had lost hope that single dad Jayden Cummins could make it through his coma, but not his 14-year-old son Henry.

The 47-year-old from Camperdown was struck down with a flu in late 2017 when he started having breathing difficulties.

He made a life-changing decision to go to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.

Jayden Cummins at St Vincent’s Hospitals intensive care unit.

Within days he was put on life support and transported to St Vincent’s Hospital in a coma.

He woke up three weeks later with a mechanical heart.

“I just couldn’t breathe, I knew there was something wrong,” Mr Cummins said.

Doctors diagnosed him with cardiomyopathy, a disease which affects the way the heart pumps, brought on by viral myocarditis.

They told him if he wasn’t put on life support, he could have died within a couple of days.

“I’m a lucky boy,” he told Central Sydney magazine.

After waking up at St Vincent’s Hospital doctors said he needed a heart transplant but was way too sick.

“They said the only option available was an artificial heart — a left ventricular assist device.

“The chances of me surviving that surgery were pretty low, but it was the only chance I had, so they rolled the dice.”

That was on November 24, 2017.

Heart transplant recipient Jayden Cummins at Anytime Fitness. Picture: John Appleyard

The artificial heart was surgically implanted inside Mr Cummins chest just below the heart to help his heart pump blood.

One end of the device is attached to the left ventricle — the part of the heart that pumps blood into the body — and the other end attached to the aorta, the body’s main artery.

His son Henry, who has been his greatest motivator throughout the journey, held his hand while he was on life support.

“He has coped really well,” Mr Cummins said.

“Everyone around him told him I was going to die, and he refused to believe it.

“He left me messages on my phone knowing I wouldn’t get them.

“He kept sitting there saying, ‘you’ve got this dad’. He is pretty incredible.”

Mr Cummins said despite being hooked up to a machine and connected to batteries for over a year it gave him his life back.

He went back to his gym, Anytime Fitness Camperdown, which helped him regain his strength.

Jayden Cummins with his son Henry 10 minutes before he received his heart transplant.

In that time, he climbed Mt Kosciusko, completed the City to Surf and the Seven Bridges Walk.

“I was able to work really hard while I had the artificial heart, I started to get some improved function in my organic heart as well, which is very rare.

Fast forward 14 months and the single dad got the call he had been waiting for — there was a healthy heart waiting for him.

“We spent a bit of time thinking about my donor and the fact that somewhere there was another family in a huge amount of pain.

He said he wasn’t scared, but saying goodbye to his family was the hardest part of all.

Jayden is a single father from Camperdown who suffered from a vicious flu that attacked his heart. Picture: John Appleyard

“I tried not to worry about the things I couldn’t control,” he said.

“I wasn’t getting my tonsils out, it was a big operation and risks are extremely high.

“There are a lot of reasons why I shouldn’t be here, I’ve worked hard to enjoy every day since.

“Every day with my boy has been a gift.”

Four weeks after his heart transplant operation Mr Cummins said life had been fantastic.

“The last twelve months were about survival,” he said.

Jayden Cummins (47), at the Anytime Fitness Gym in Camperdown just a month after his heart transplant operation. Picture: John Appleyard

“I’ve got a chance now of watching my boy grow up thanks to the kindness of someone I will never meet.

“Going into surgery the last thing I wanted him to see me do was a fist pump.

“I wrote him a letter for if I didn’t wake up, I have ripped that up — thankfully he never had to read that.

“He will walk away from this as a stronger more resilient person.

“I wish I could have given him that lesson in a different way.”

Jayden Cummins recovering at St Vincent's Hospital ICU. He was sent home just 11-days after his heart transplant operation.

Mr Cummins said he wanted to say thank you to his donor and to the donor’s family.

“Organ donation is the most precious thing one person can give to another,” he said.

He said the team at St Vincent’s were also angels.

“I’m grateful, and will be forever. My heart is doing beautifully now, I’ve got the heart of a lion and it’s going to take me a little while now for my head to catch up.”

Register to be an organ donor at donatelife.gov.au