SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Dom Hill's November 2020 COVID-19 diagnosis likely led to his need for a heart transplant.
The 29-year-old mixed martial arts instructor, Navy Sailor and dad of one thought he just had a bad cold but found out he had COVID-19 and myocarditis, likely caused by the virus.
His only option was a heart transplant.
Hill was at Sharp Memorial Hospital for 105 days waiting for a heart. He said the nurses kept his spirits up. His grandmother died while he was in the hospital in quarantine, and he credits the nursing staff for helping him in his darkest days.
"My night nurse just listened to me cry for like 45 minutes," he said.
When the news came that a healthy heart had arrived, Hill had difficulty celebrating.
"Someone else had to die for me to get this heart, and that's all I have thought about every single day," he said.
Hill doesn't intend to waste his new heart. He has a new purpose in life and hopes to thank the donor's family one day.
"I don't even know what I would say, but I hope one day I can meet them. I think of that day all the time," he said.
