Army Veteran Terrill Giere has been out of the military for more than 20 years, but he still has the fighting spirit of a soldier. After battling heart failure and a stroke, relying on a left ventricular device (LVAD) to keep him alive, and then developing a potentially deadly infection, Giere recently received a life-saving heart transplant at the Michael E. DeBakey VA in Houston.
This month, while he continues to recover, Giere, 60, celebrated Valentine’s Day with his wife and is looking forward to living a long and happy life.
During a 2020 trip to Colorado, Giere started having breathing issues that, at the time, he attributed to the high elevation. When he got home to Texas, he went in for a check-up and was surprised when doctors diagnosed him with heart failure.
Needed a heart transplant
“Before this diagnosis I was pretty healthy, but my heart started acting up pretty fast. By 2023, I had to be medevaced to Houston VA to get an LVAD. It was a scary time,” he shared.
After a year of relying on the LVAD—a small, battery-operated pump implanted into the chest that helps the heart circulate blood—Giere returned for more unexpected news. His doctors found he had developed an unusual allergy along with a very serious infection and needed a heart transplant.
“I knew there was something serious when they took 45 vials of my blood. Everything happened so fast. I was in shock. In less than a week I was told they had found a heart and I was in the operating room,” he said.
Since the heart transplant last October, Giere has been working hard to recover and is already feeling great. He enjoys walking and says he can’t wait to get back to spending time with his 10 grandchildren and two great grandchildren who affectionally call him “Grumpy.”
“I have been so impressed by the staff at Houston VA. For such a large hospital, both the LVAD and the transplant staff have taken amazing care of me. When I walk onto the transplant unit for a check-up, sometimes I feel like a celebrity. I really think that God had a hand in my health journey and he guided the hands of the VA doctors taking care of me,” he said.
According to Dr. Savitri Fedson, medical director of the advanced heart failure program, Houston VA is one of just a few VA facilities performing LVAD procedures and heart transplants. She said Veterans like Giere who receive both an LVAD and a heart transplant often embody a special spirit of resilience and hope.
“The LVAD serves as a critical bridge allowing Veterans to regain their strength and improve their quality of life while waiting for a donor heart,” said Fedson, who is also a professor for the Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy at Baylor College of Medicine. “This combination not only extends their lives but also enables them to embrace new beginnings and cherish precious moments with their loved ones.”
Giere credits his wife Shannon as playing a key role in his recovery. Fifty-eight years ago, the couple—pictured above—met as toddlers and formed an instant connection. Life took them on different paths with Giere joining the military and serving in the honor guard in Washington, DC. Each raised a family. However, years later they reconnected and married in 2021. They have been inseparable since.
“Shannon is the reason I’m here today. She has been with me every step of the way through all my health battles. She really is the love of my life,” Giere added.
“We thank Mr. Giere for choosing to receive his care at Houston VA,” said Fedson. “It is our honor and privilege to care for him.”
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This is a beautiful story of how a Veteran got a second chance with his life. Congratulations.
CONGRATULATIONS TERRILL AND WELCOME TO THE CLUB!!!!! MY TRANSPLANT WAS DONE IN MADISON WISCONSIN AT THE WILLIAM S MIDDELTON MEMORIAL VA. IRONY OF IRONIES I AM FROM PGH.,PA WHERE THE REST OF THE WORLD COMES TO GET THEIR TRANSPLANT..
MY TRANSPLANT TEAM IN MADISON, IS MORE THAN WONDERFUL. I GOT MY LVAD WITHIN 48 HRS OF MY DIAGNOSIS IN PGH. AND BY THE GRACE OF GOD MY NEW HEART WAS PUT IN 9 MOS LATER IN MADISON!!!!! DR DAVID MURRAY AND HIS STAFF COULD TRAIN MARINES!!!!
20 HEART BIOPSIES AND NOT 1 REJECTION ……….I KNOW BECAUSE I AM A VEIT NAM ERA VETERAN WHO HAD NO HEART PROBLEMS UNTILL I DID AND NOW 5 YEARS LATER THRU A LOT OF SET BACKS WITH FITS AND STARTS THAT I WON’T GO INTO HERE ……BUT KNOW THAT I WOULD BE DEAD HAD IT NOT BEEN FOR THE TEAM IN MADISON, MY “ ADVOCATE” CAREGIVER, THE PRAYERS OF STRANGERS AND GOD’S GRACE.
THE MADISON VA AND ITS PEOPLE BECAME A SECOND HOME, AND ALL OF THIS WAS AT THE START OF COVID!!!!!!
THANK YOU MADISON VA FOR SAVING MY LIFE!!! THANK YOU PITTSBURGH VA FOR GETTING ME TO MADISON!!!! THANK YOU TO MY VSO AND THANK YOU LORD FOR ALL OF OUR BLESSINGS.
I PRAY THAT NONE OF THESE DEDICATED PROFESSIONALS OR MY BROTHERS IN ARMS……….BECOME COLLATERAL DAMAGE IN THESE TROUBLED TIMES.
PS…….. WE ARE NOT YELLING. MY CAREGIVER IS LEGALLY BLIND AND USES CAPS……. BUT ONLY SHE CAN TELL MY STORY, AS MY PTSD WILL NOT ALLOW ME TO REMEMBER IT ALL.
THANK YOU,
EDWARD C MEGGETT
SEMPER FI
Great news, glad you’re doing well. I’m a retired AF vet and the military was my life. Thanks VA for your services.
Our son suffered a TBI in a motorcycle accident during a Navy Reserve weekend in Albuquerque, NM in 1992. He was in a coma for a week before succumbing to his injuries. We had to advocate to speak to the local organ and tissue donation center, b/c this was before laws were passed in each state allowing individuals to indicate their wishes on their driver licenses. Because Jeremy had already signed military documents before possibly being sent to the Middle East, we knew early on what his wishes would be. Therefore, his dad and I agreed to allow his to became an organ and tissue donor. His heart went to a 52 y.o. truck driver, his liver went to a grandmother in San Francisco, one kidney went to a Native American mom, and the other kidney was transplanted into a mom who became a math teacher after receiving her transplant. Twelve other individuals received bone or tissue to improve the quality of their lives. We’re proud of our son, and after reading this article, we are thrilled that Terrill Giere was able to receive a new heart and new lease on life. Thank you for sharing this good news with us all. (Remember: talk to your loved ones. Let them know your wishes. Over one hundred people can benefit from organ and tissue donation.) Love to Terrill & Shannon – enjoy your future anniversary celebrations!
God Bless! Good Deal!
Beautiful story , God Bless You and thank you for your service .
Awesome! God bless ❤️
The VA has given Army Veteran Terrill Giere the oportunity to enjoy the time with his wife, 10 grandchildren and two great grandchildren.
The support that the VA provides to veterans never surprises me. I thank the VA every time I can show my appreciation to the medical staff who support people like Terrill Giere and myself with our medical needs. I want to thank those Doctors and medical staff who take care of veterans like Terrill Giere and my self. I hope they know how much they are appreciated.
excellent good luck in the future ! sez johnny G
I need a stem cell for my lungs. I’m 100% service connected permanent and total you think the VA will help me with that to help save my life.
Thanks VA for your support & Treatment of our Brother Giere , & the Excellent Care that you provide for us all..#VETERANSSTRONG…No Matter the Circumstances, I truly Thank God for the Strength &!Toughness of all of our Brothers & Sisters , with the support of all of our Local VA Health Care Providers & Staff…Together we Are United in Strength & Numbers To #DRIVEON & Stand Together
Back in October of 23 I got a double by-pass and a new value replacement in the High Point NC hospital. The VA covered everything, THANKS VA.