Published: April 25, 2009 12:00 PM Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star
Even when others had given up on him, Brian Parsons never doubted he would slide into his firefighter’s helmet, boots and jacket once again. And almost a year after undergoing a life-saving heart transplant, he defied the naysayers and returned to active duty at the Vernon fire hall. “Numerous doctors said to me that my firefighting career was over and I said, ‘I’d be back,’” said the 44-year-old. “It’s just me. If I set my mind to something, I do it.” A full-time city firefighter for six years, Parsons has always been a strong advocate of healthy living, working out at the gym six days a week. But his life was turned upside down in August 2006. “I developed a cough that wouldn’t go away. I thought it was just a summer cold,” he said. “But the doctors ran tests and it showed my heart was enlarged.” In fact, Parsons was extremely close to heart failure. As a result, he left the fire department in November 2006 and immediately began a strict regimen of drugs to try and correct the problem.
However, conditions worsened and by January 2008, he was added to the transplant list. “Once I was on the list, I was relieved. I embraced this and said, ‘Let’s do this,’” he said. “I always tried to remain positive. If you get negative you have two problems — the underlying condition and you’re depressed.” And he didn’t have to wait long as a heart was found and he was being operated on at St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver on Feb. 22, 2008. Recovery began immediately and within a week he was back in the gym. “To be able to walk again and not be exhausted was a real milestone,” he said. His goal was to be back at the fire hall within six months but that timeline was delayed slightly when he developed a fluid build-up last July. But through treatment, that situation was alleviated and he took a fitness assessment March 28, 2009. The green light was given for him to return to work. “I love the job. Every day is different. I work with great people and they were so supportive. This is like a second family,” he said. “We’ve had some serious incidents in the community and to get back and help makes it all worthwhile.”
The assessment Parsons took simulated all of the physical pressures that a firefighter endures. “Mr. Parsons completed all of the job-related tasks successfully,” said Dr. Warren Warburton, associate professor at the University of B.C.’s cardiovascular physiology and rehabilitation laboratory, in a letter. “He was well above the minimum requirements for firefighter applicants and incumbents in each of the critical job simulation tasks. In fact, his scores on each of the timed events placed him in the excellent category for each event. Thus, he received the highest possible score for the firefighting specific tasks.” Parsons is only the second firefighter in North America to resume full duties after a heart transplant. “The test definitely told me I’m able to do the job. I don’t want to put myself at risk or anyone at risk.”
Parsons has the full support of Jeff Carlisle, Vernon’s fire chief. “If you look at the experts working with Brian, they have given him a clean bill of health. I rely on the experts in the field and I have no second thoughts at all,” said Carlisle. “It’s an extraordinary accomplishment. He serves as an inspiration for all of us.” The surgery has also meant that Parsons — who will be on anti-rejection drugs for the rest of his life — can enjoy his wife, three children and four grandchildren. “I’m able to watch them grow,” he said. Beyond regaining his life, the entire process has had other impacts on Parsons. “I wasn’t patient before but I had to be patient to see if the drugs would work. A lot of things that used to upset me are insignificant.” He has also become a strong advocate for people becoming organ donors and he thinks often of the young man whose heart he now has. “His mother sent me a letter and I know what he looked like. He was 25 years old and he looked a lot like I did when I was that age,” said Parsons. “I am very grateful. One person has to die so you can live.” He is now meeting with other potential heart transplant recipients and he is pleading with them to not give up. “If you believe you can do it and you are determined, you can go back to where you were. But it takes a lot of hard work,” he said.
Parsons will be officially welcomed back to the fire department during Monday’s Vernon city council meeting at 1:30 p.m.
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