Heart Transplant Leads To Super Bowl Trip for Lower Makefield Twp. Man

LOWER MAKEFIELD TOWNSHIP, PA —Bill Soloway is going to cheer for his Philadelphia Eagles at Super Bowl LVII Sunday. He didn't buy a ticket or win a prize though.

The trip to Arizona is because of his heart transplant.

The Lower Makefield Township resident will be in Arizona Thursday night to see if his nomination, Jim Zimmerman Sr., is the NFL's "Fan of the Year."

Soloway, 57, a Gift of Life Donor Program volunteer ambassador, received his heart from Zimmerman's son James in November 2018.

Soloway then began corresponding with Zimmerman, who lives in Pittsburgh, and the two forged a friendship through their love of football and sports. Soloway then would drive to Pittsburgh and attend Steelers and Pirates games with Zimmerman.

That led to Soloway campaigning for the 68-year-old Zimmerman to become “Steelers Fan of the Year” —which he won —and now potentially "NFL Fan of the Year."

That award will be announced during the NFL Honors show Thursday night on ESPN.

"I never really dreamed I'd be at the Super Bowl, not with ticket costs and airfare," Soloway told Patch Tuesday. "That was always on the wish list."

What Soloway wished for years was to have a healthy heart.

Soloway had a genetic heart defect that was discovered after a trip to Disneyworld in 1996. It was the same defect that took his brother Jack's life at the age of 27. Soloway was 21 at the time.

His heart would begin to race out of control. And after years of treatment, including medication, defibrillation, and operations, the heart issues persisted more on a regular basis.

Doctors determined that Soloway's best chance to live was with a heart transplant. Soloway believed he would never live to see age 50.

Zimmerman's son James had died at age 38 after sustaining head injuries from a fall, Soloway said.

After getting the heart transplant, Soloway and Zimmerman started exchanging letters. They first met in 2018.

Their talks focused on sports with Zimmerman saying he'd never seen a Steelers game in person. The two both went to one. And then another. And then saw the Steelers play the Eagles in Philadelphia where Steeler T.J. Watt presented Zimmerman with his "Steelers Fan of the Year" jersey.

As a lifelong Steelers fan, Zimmerman had always wanted to take his son to a game but never had the chance. And while James wasn’t physically there with his dad, his heart was.

Soloway is a 25-year Lower Makefield Township and lifelong Bucks County resident who grew up in Warminster. He began following the Eagles in the early 1970s, attending games at Veterans Stadium with his father and brother.

For the Super Bowl, Zimmerman will root for the Eagles, Soloway said.

That shouldn't be strange. After all, during World War II, the teams combined to play for a year as the "Steagles in 1943.

"It's been quite a ride for both of us," Soloway said. "Through all of this, we now talk weekly, not just for anniversaries and birthdays."

And James will be with them at the game as well.

"He's not here in body," Soloway said. "But he's here in soul and heart."