Giving back: A journey from patient to caregiver
Years spent fighting heart failure from a hospital bed would ultimately shape Thomas Groves II’s calling to healthcare guiding him from patient to caregiver.
Thomas no longer takes the little things for granted, such as tying his shoes without getting winded or working a full day without exhaustion. For many years, those simple, daily tasks felt out of reach. Born with a weakened, enlarged heart and situs inversus, a condition in which the body’s organs are reversed, Thomas spent much of his life feeling unusually tired and short of breath. He did not realize how serious his condition was until his 20s.
“It wasn’t until I was 23 and I had a stroke that I was diagnosed with congestive heart failure,” he said.
Thomas would go on to suffer two more strokes and spend significant time at TriStar Summit Medical Center. During that time, the kindness of caregivers — especially a nurse named Giselle and his physician, Dr. Thomas Williams — left a lasting impression.
“Giselle would always make sure that I got something to eat, even if it was giving me half of her turkey sandwich. She made my experience so much better- even just talking with me provided me with some comfort.”
As Thomas’ condition worsened, Dr. Williams helped guide him through the transplant process, preparing for surgery and the long recovery road ahead. Thomas was placed on the heart transplant list and received his new heart just four days later.
“I spent only 4 days on the list,” Thomas remembers, a fact to which he says he was extremely grateful. “For the first few hours after the transplant, I held my chest because I felt like my heart was going to beat right out of it, it was so strong,” he reflected.
After completing cardiac rehabilitation, Thomas turned his focus to the future. Long interested in healthcare, his experience as a patient inspired him to pursue a career as a surgical technologist in the cardiac cath lab.
“It really came full circle when I was scrubbed with a doctor who once treated me as a patient,” he said. “I love being able to work with patients and share my experience, not only as a heart patient, but providing comfort, just like Giselle and Dr. Williams did for me.”
Today, Thomas gives back both in the operating room and beyond, having started a nonprofit to help provide shelter and transportation to those in need. For Thomas, gratitude remains at the center of it all.
“I love being able to eat what I want, to walk up the stairs, to work as much as I want without getting tired, to tie my shoes without taking a break,” he said.