Army Veteran Overcomes Heart Challenges to Cherish Every Moment with Family
Army Veteran Terrill Giere has been out of the military for more than 20 years, but he still has the fighting spirit of a soldier.
After battling heart failure and a stroke, relying on a left ventricular device (LVAD) to keep him alive, and then developing a potentially deadly infection, Giere recently received a life-saving heart transplant at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center.
This month, while he continues to recover, he celebrated Valentines Day with his wife and is looking forward to living a long and happy life.
“The last few years have been surreal,” he said. “My heart has really been giving me some problems.”
Giere, who is known to his friends and family as Kiwi, was on a trip to Colorado in 2020 when he started having some issues breathing that he attributed to the high elevation. When he got home to Texas, he went in for a check-up and was surprised when doctors diagnosed him with heart failure.
“Before this diagnosis I was pretty healthy, but my heart started acting up pretty fast,” he said. “By 2023, I had to be medevacked to the Houston VA to get an LVAD. It was a scary time.”
After relying on the LVAD, a small, battery-operated pump that’s implanted into the chest and helps the heart circulate blood, for a year, Giere, 60, came back to Houston VA in 2024 for a check-up and faced some unexpected news. He had developed an unusual allergy and a very serious infection and doctors told him he needed to be put on the heart transplant list.
“I knew there was something serious going on when they took 45 vials of my blood,” he said. “Everything happened so fast.. in less than a week, the doctors came in to tell me that they had found me a heart and I got the transplant. I was in shock.”
Since receiving the heart transplant last October, Giere has been working hard to recover and is already feeling great. He enjoys walking and says he can’t wait to get back to spending time with his 10 grandchildren and two great grandchildren, who affectionally call him “Grumpy.”
“I have been so impressed by the staff at the Houston VA,” he said. “For such a large hospital, both the LVAD and the transplant staff have taken amazing care of me. When I walk onto the transplant unit for a check-up, sometimes I feel like a celebrity. I really think that God had a hand in my health journey and He guided the hands of the VA doctors taking care of me.”
According to Dr. Savitri Fedson, medical director of the advanced heart failure program, Houston VA is one of just a few VA facilities performing LVAD procedures and heart transplants. She said that Veterans like Giere, who receive both an LVAD and a heart transplant, often embody a special spirit of resilience and hope.
“The LVAD serves as a critical bridge, allowing Veterans to regain their strength and improve their quality of life while waiting for a donor heart,” she said. “This combination not only extends their lives, but also enables them to embrace new beginnings and cherish precious moments with their loved ones.”
Giere credits his wife, Shannon, as playing a key role in his recovery. Fifty-eight years ago, the couple met when they were both toddlers and formed an instant connection. Life took them on different paths, with Giere leaving to serve his country and serve in the honor guard in DC, and both of them raising families. After many years apart, they reconnected and ultimately ended up marrying in 2021. They have been inseparable since.
“Shannon is reason I’m here today,” he said. “She has been with me every step of the way through all my health battles. She really is the love of my life.”
We thank Mr. Giere for choosing to receive his care at the Houston VA. It is our honor and privilege to care for him.