My Heart Journey: Waiting on a Heart

My Heart Journey: Waiting on a Heart is a deeply personal, raw, and sometimes humorous chronicle of author Fred Hueston’s experience waiting for a life-saving heart transplant. Over the course of 87 days in the hospital, Fred shares not just the physical toll of heart failure, but the emotional rollercoaster that comes with being tethered to IV poles, surrounded by machines, and suspended in that long, uncertain pause between life and something else.

Written in short, journal-style essays, the book is both a medical survival story and a window into the human spirit. Fred turns hospital life into something relatable—from decoding doctor lingo and joking about “pole dancing” (the kind with an IV pump) to reflecting on deep truths about mortality, hope, and gratitude.

The heart of the story—no pun intended—is the ever-present waiting. Each chapter captures the anticipation of the call, the one that would bring a new heart and a new lease on life. Through it all, Fred stays grounded by humor, resilience, the support of his wife Jeri, and the knowledge that he still had more to do, more people to inspire, and more life to live.

Underlying every moment is reverence for the donor—a person Fred never met but now carries with him every day. The book doesn’t shy away from the hard questions: “Why me?” “What happens now?” But it’s also filled with celebration—of milestones like the first walk, the first laugh, and finally, the ride home.

My Heart Journey: Waiting on a Heart isn’t just a transplant story. It’s a thank-you letter to medicine, to the people who save lives, and to the strangers who give the ultimate gift. It’s a book about waiting, wondering, and never giving up—even when you’re stuck in a hospital gown for 80 days straight