Doctors told John Paul Cavalieri he was just days away from death when he entered the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP) in 2022. Although miraculously attending his wedding the following week, hearing a healthy heartbeat again would nearly cost him his life.
Three years prior, Cavalieri suffered an electrical shock while scaffolding on a job. Unbeknownst to him, his heart would never recover from the accident. What began as advice to visit a local cardiologist, turned into a rollercoaster of life and death.
A shocking diagnosis
When Cavalieri began to feel more lethargic and experienced swelling in his abdomen, he knew something was wrong. Urged by his family to seek immediate care, Cavalieri visited a few hospitals before receiving an echocardiogram that found an alarming ejection fraction (EF) between five and 10 percent. A normal EF is between 50 and 70 percent.
With his heart only pumping at 10 percent—essentially non-functioning—Cavalieri was diagnosed with heart failure. While his local hospital was able to stabilize him, he would need a more permanent solution, a heart transplant.
While it was hard to believe, John Paul acted immediately and began seeing a local cardiologist to monitor his heart. However, the cardiologist suggested Cavalieri start searching for a transplant hospital because he would eventually need to get evaluated. After research, Cavalieri determined HUP as his best option and was introduced to Juan Ortega-Legaspi, MD, PhD.
“Dr. Ortega embraced me with open arms, and it felt like family,” said John Paul. “He explained how he could manage my heart failure. However, it would lead to transplant and was a matter of when, not if.”
The first breath after near-death
In late 2021, Cavalieri underwent initial testing to receive a heart and be added to the transplant list. Otegra suggested he get listed and transplantable in the event of tanking.
Months later in June 2022, Cavalieri returned to HUP at his sickest.
“It felt like when I got my original diagnosis,” Cavalieri said. “My stomach was all distended and my face was all red.”
That’s when doctors told him he was just days away from losing his life.
“A close call,” Cavalieri said. “For all I care, they could have wheeled me in a wheelchair, I wasn’t going to miss my wedding.”
Following an aggressive treatment plan led by the Penn Medicine team, Cavalieri was stabilized enough to greet the 150 guests at his intimate backyard wedding. With loved ones in tow, Cavalieri married his wife.
In the following weeks, Cavalieri was in and out of HUP until August 2022, when all treatments began to fail. He would need a heart, and he would need it soon.
“I thought they didn’t have a heart for me,” Cavalieri said. “I thought I would die and there were no other options.”
In a final measure to save Cavalieri, Stuart Prenner, MD, initiated a ventricular assist device (VAD) and finally when that failed, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in September 2022, to fight against time.
Cavalieri received a heart from his organ donor Jack two days later.
While he can’t recall much of the surgery day, Cavalieri remembers being wheeled into the operating room and hearing his favorite song “Oceans” by Hillsong UNITED playing in the background.
“I could not believe that they remembered that about me, I didn’t even ask them,” said Cavalieri. “The attention to detail in every interaction, from the person who came in and emptied the trash to my heart surgeon, Marisa Cevasco, MD, MPH, has been incredible.”
When Cavalieri woke up from surgery, the first thing he wanted to do was listen to his new heartbeat. He described the moment as surreal and shared it with the world to see online.
Eleven days after the surgery, Cavalieri spotted Cevasco in the hall, and he described “B-lining across” to say hello and thank her for saving his life.
“JP was very sick,” Cevasco said. “We were lucky to get him a heart when we did… he nearly died waiting.”
A remarkable impact
As the clip went viral on social media, Cavalieri decided he was going to use his newfound platform to inspire others on their health journeys. Throughout his stay at HUP, he could be found on TikTok LIVE, sharing his story with those around the world and offering a glimmer of hope.
His impact is extending beyond screens too and continuing with follow-up care. After appointments, Cavalieri heads up to visit a follower and now friend Eric's room, who is expecting a new kidney and heart. Nurses on the floor recognize Cavalieri and ask him to speak to other patients on the floor near-ending and about to go on ECMO.
Cavalieri is grateful for his donor Jack and his family. He set up The Jack Sinnott Foundation to honor the life and legacy of his donor, who selflessly gave the gift of life. The non-profit is dedicated to promoting donor awareness, supporting transplant recipients and their families, fostering heart-healthy education, and spreading love and kindness.
On the anniversary of Cavalieri’s transplant, he ran up the Rocky Steps in Philadelphia. Approaching the second anniversary, he ran the annual Dash for Organ and Tissue Donor Awareness, where he was joined by his donor family in support of Donate Life Month in April 2024.