Family of Tampa’s first heart transplant patient marks 40th anniversary since historic surgery

40 years since historic heart surgery in Tampa

FOX 13's Lloyd Sowers highlights the story of a Tampa Skydiver who received a historic heart surgery 40 years ago.

TAMPA, Fla. - The transplant team at Tampa General Hospital hosted Tom Thrasher’s family to mark the first successful heart transplant in Florida.

The backstory:

Thrasher received his new heart on June 6, 1985, and he lived for 11 years after the transplant. He took up skydiving and made 22 jumps to raise awareness and advocate for patients in need of transplants.

Linda Thrasher Donalson was Tom’s wife at the time. She has continued with a non-profit they formed that has raised thousands of dollars for transplants.

Linda and Tom’s son, Ronald, attended the gathering. He is now 34, and quite possibly the first person in Florida to be fathered by a heart transplant recipient.

What's next:

Their organization, called NOTE, will now supply each heart transplant patient with an exact 3D model of their diseased heart to compare with the much smaller, healthy heart they’ll leave with.

Heart transplants have come a long way, and many recipients are now living with their second transplanted heart. Linda and Ronald Thrasher remember life with Tom Thrasher and his advocacy for more lifesaving transplants.