>>> Paul conway works hard to stay in shape, takes walks around his neighborhood with his
wife, grace, and he pumps iron at least three times a week, okay, so he doesn't look like
Arnold, but back in his prime he was a competitive body builder.
>>> Right now I don't look like I did when I was 22 years old, when I won the border
state, I'm glad I won it but now all I can be is the best 53 year old I can.
>>> Conway has in stage heater disease and a pump
is keeping him alive, a VLAD, powered by special batteries that conway keeps in a fanny pack.
When he goes to sleep at night he plugs the device spew the wall.
Conway says after he first complained of shortness of breath in 2005 doctors discovered he had
he had a blocked artery so they put in an extent.
His heart problems continued and conway had to have more extents put in.
>>> But in 2008 one of those 10 extents had two blood clots going to it, they blocked
the major artery, I forget the technical name but they call it the "widow maker" and it
destroyed over 50% of my heart.
>>> After that conway grew weaker and weaker.
>>> He couldn't walk up the stairs, he couldn't leave the house, he couldn't go out and get
our mail.
He was short of breath all the time and we couldn't do anything.
It was scary.
The kids had asked me at one point, "are we still going to have a dad?"
And that was a hard thing to answer.
>>> Conway was put on the waiting list for a heart trance plant in 2010 as a stopgap
measure surgeons put in an LVAD.
It wasn't that long ago that people had to get a transplant or they would die but these
days people can live for years with a heart pump.
>>> This tube goes into the heart and this into the aorta, the blood vessel coming out
on the other side of the heart and it pumps blood through it.
>>> Cardiac surgeon Walter Levinsky has trained surgeons on how to Implant the device, and
he has had patients who have lived for years including one man who has had this pump for
a decade.
>>> It is a proven fact that this is good for you if you have terminal heart failure
for your survival and quality of life it's good technology.
>>> But LVADs aren't perfect, they increase the risk of stroke and they're not appropriate
for every patient with advanced heart disease still they have become a viable option since
donated hearts are in short supply.
The nonprofit group "life sharing" over sees this in San Diego and imperial county, the
director says it takes a special set of circumstances for a person to become a heart donor.
>>> The person has to die in the hospital while their heart is still beating accident
they have to be of a certain age and the family has to consent for donation or they have to
be on the registry to donate.
>>> Nationwide each year there are only about 2100 donated hearts, currently there are 30
San Diegans waiting for one, including Paul conway, he's been on the list for more than
two years.
He has to stay within 2 hours driving distance of Sharp Hospital at all times in case a heart
becomes available.
In the meantime conway has learned to live with his LVAD and so have his daughters.
>>> It's kinda sad, but he can do most things like take us places, he still goes to Disneyland
with us and he can go on the roller coaster.
>>> I guess it's cool because he's like a robot.
>>> Conway says he's hanging tough until he gets his heart transplant.
>>> I know it's here and it can be aggravating but every time I look at it I say it's saved
my life, three more Christmases, three more new years, how can I complain about that?
>> Kenny Goldberg, KPBS news.