A Kansas City ICU patient waits for a Christmas gift that could save his life

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - The ICU is one of the last places anybody would want to spend Christmas, but at St. Luke’s Hospital, one patient is hopeful they are about to receive a gift that will last a lifetime, making this the best Christmas yet.

Brent Snyder has been at St. Luke’s for six weeks waiting for a heart transplant.

“This present’s going to be the best ever,” Snyder said. “I don’t think I can ever beat this one.”

St. Luke’s Hospital is one of just 23 programs to perform 1,000 heart transplants. Once Snyder matches with a donor, he has big plans for what he could be doing next Christmas.

“I’ll be able to do everything again,” Snyder hopes. “I mean I was on hospice, beat hospice and I want to get a new heart to start a new life, like go to Australia.”

Snyder may not be at home, but after getting to know the staff, he still feels like he is with family over the holidays.

“I’m thankful for them to be here,” Snyder added. “You know they’re very good nurses, all of them. My doctor, he’s great too, Dr. Cal.”

Medical emergencies never take a holiday, so for the doctors and nurses spending Christmas at work, helping Brent and other patients make progress is the best gift of all.

“It’s very rewarding. I mean, I feel very fortunate to be a nurse,” House Supervisor Nicole Roberson said. “A lot of people out there don’t have jobs where they actually get to make a strong and vital impact in the lives of others. We put our needs aside and we pretty much become a part of the family.”

Doctors and nurses in the St. Luke’s ICU say another way to keep the workplace festive and positive for patients is to bring in good food so they can learn about co-workers’ cultures and be part of new holiday traditions.

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