Chicago area veteran asks doctors to save special tattoo during heart transplant
For U.S. Army Sgt. First Class Louis B. Smith Jr., his heart and his father's legacy is all wrapped up into a special tattoo.
After 21 years of service, Smith, a veteran in south suburban Country Club Hills, found himself battling a new enemy: heart failure.
"I wasn't really afraid to pass away because I was a soldier," Smith said. "So, I'm built for this, you know."
Smith enlisted in the Army when he was only 17 years old following in his father's footsteps, with tours in Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Germany and Korea.
By age 63, Smith's genetic heart condition left his heart function at only 10%. Doctors at Northwestern Memorial Hospital told him he's need a heart transplant.
"Just keeping my faith and saying to myself that everything is gonna be all right," he said.
Thankfully, a donor became available and before surgery, Smith's doctor asked if he had any requests.
"I was like, 'Oh yeah, can you please try to save my tattoo?'" he asked them.
The tattoo, which reads "I did it my way," from Frank Sinatra's famous song is more than ink for Smith. It's a connection to his late father, referencing a song they both listened to and the lyric became their motto.
"I lost my father in 2007, and he was a soldier as well, and at the time, I was really missing him," Smith said.
Dr. Benjamin Bryner said, "There's no way to do a transplant without leaving a scar behind, but we take all the time we can to get the tattoos to at least line up, and his, I was happy with the result for his."
Smith said he told his wife he thought the doctors did a good job with preserving the tattoo.
"Now, you can't almost tell it's there!" he said.
Nearly a year after ringing the hospital bell signifying a successful transplant, Smith was back doing what he loves: riding his motorcycle and being a dad and grandfather.
"I'm very happy and in my life, I've been blessed," he said. "I don't have any regrets and it just says it all. The song says who I am."
Smith remains a patient at Jesse Brown Veterans Affairs Medical Center, which has partnered with Northwestern Medicine for more than 77 years to help give specialized care to veterans.