'Miracle Man' retired firefighter undergoes groundbreaking heart procedure
NORTH TEXAS — The patient doctors have named "Miracle Man" is now living life to the fullest, after a groundbreaking procedure at Baylor, Scott, & White Heart and Vascular Hospital.
Jerry Mariner, a retired firefighter, struggled for years with congenital heart failure. He ended up in a coma for months after having three strokes.
His wife, Beverly, has cared about the heartbeat of her life since the two met at 15 and 13 years old.
"I'm sorry, I get emotional," Jerry said. "It was weird because when she came in, it was something like, 'That's the girl you're going to marry.' I got, I guess a vision."
Jerry's intuition turned into 51 years of marriage. The father of two, grandfather of five, and fur dad to dog Clyde always stayed in great shape. He played organized baseball until age 48, rode his motorcycle, and served Amarillo, Texas, as a firefighter for more than 30 years.
But, the family's life changed January 13, 2023.
"I don't know what happened," Jerry said. "She came home and found me in a coma."
Doctors in Amarillo told Jerry he had a stroke and was in full septic shock.
"They said, 'We need to talk to you. We need to tell you that we've done all we can do for you, and you're not going to make it.' They said, 'We give you a 1% chance of making it until tomorrow,'" Jerry recounted.
He slipped back into a coma for almost three months and had two more strokes.
"They airlifted you here, and you don't wake up here until the second week in April, and then you slipped into another coma," Beverly shared.
Baylor University Medical Center cardiologist Dr. Purav Mody took a look at Jerry's heart.
"Jerry already had an artificial, or prosthetic heart valve, which was placed almost two decades ago," Mody explained. "Unfortunately, it had gotten infected. The mitral valve was leaking quite a bit, and the new valve that was placed unfortunately also developed a leak."
Jerry wasn't strong enough for open heart surgery, so Dr. Yash Chugh came up with another idea.
"We have clips available we can insert through the groin, the recovery for which is pretty quick," Chugh said.
Chugh said the surgery is similar to a plumber fixing a leaky faucet. The clips are like putty a plumber would use to seal up a pipe.
"I got out of the wheelchair and started walking," Jerry said. "I was in rehab, and I had to relearn to walk because of my strokes."
The 72-year-old continues to push ahead and has earned his nickname because of it.
"It was a miracle," Jerry said. "They called me the 'Miracle Man' when I was here in the hospital. All my nurses called me, 'Mr. Mariner the Miracle Man.'"
"The fact that he is now pushing his wife's wheelchair is incredible, and I did not expect that," Chugh said. "This is as optimistic and as much of a miracle as it gets."
The Miracle Man has lots of plans for his second chance in life, including spending lots of time with his family and pup Clyde.
"It makes you appreciate everything," Jerry said. "You change your whole outlook on life. I did."
The heartbeat of his community and his family now has a new perspective and a new heart. He's become real-life proof miracles do happen.
