Neighbor News
Advocate Health Care patient celebrates end of first year with his new heart with Chicago Bulls
College student far from home diagnosed with genetic defect while away from family, requiring heart transplant
Advocate Health Care partnered with the Chicago Bulls Wednesday to provide a VIP experience to a young heart transplant patient celebrating surpassing his first year with a new heart.
Just months into his time as a Chicago student, David Obakin, who came from Nigeria to study engineering, started feeling run down, out of breath and even had trouble walking.
At first the usually healthy 18-year-old Illinois Institute of Technology student was given medication for what was thought to be pneumonia, but he only felt worse, causing him to call 911 from his dorm in August 2024.
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He was soon diagnosed with heart failure – caused by a genetic defect he had since birth but had been asymptomatic his whole life – and transported to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn where he was told he needed a heart transplant as soon as possible.
His mother was thousands of miles away.
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“I was freaked out,” said David. “One day I’m pursuing my degree and the next I’m sick and wake up in a hospital. All my life I had been healthy. I was shocked.”
The team at Advocate Christ worked to make sure David’s mother and family in Nigeria were informed as they started the process to come be with him. In the meantime, David’s aunt and other family in Canada rushed to Oak Lawn to be by his side. The team also worked with David’s church, who helped find him an apartment to recover after discharge.
“David’s situation not only illustrates the importance of paying attention to symptoms and getting them checked out, but also just how much our team pulled together for this student far from home,” said cardiologist Dr. William Cotts. “David needed a new heart to survive and now is thriving, but he also needed extra support as a young adult far from home.”
In just a matter of weeks from his first symptom, David received life-saving heart transplant surgery and recently celebrated his one-year milestone in September. His mother was able to join him in Chicago just as he was discharged. He’s now recovering well and back to his engineering studies.
At Wednesday’s Bulls game, David, joined by his friends, enjoyed a special experience, gaining court access ahead of the game and high fiving players as they made their way onto the court before watching them take on the Sacramento Kings.
“I’m grateful for my new heart and this special experience,” David said.
Learn more about heart transplant at Advocate Christ Medical Center.
