A heart filled with love for life: Transplant recipient thriving on Island

Eleven years after Bob Springsteen received a new heart, the 82-year old is still going strong, relieved that medical science helped him survive what seems to be an unfortunate family legacy on his mother’s side. She had four brothers who died from heart disease.

When he began to experience heart palpitations in his 50s, his doctor at the time said it would either get better, stay the same, or get worse. That prognosis (if you can call it that) left him in limbo, But close to 20 years later, he learned his heart was failing.

“I was 70 and didn’t think I would be considered for a transplant,” he said at his Island house one  morning this week. He was told he could opt for a transplant or a “left ventricle assist.” Acting on the advice from nurses at Duke University Hospital, he opted for a transplant, but hoped he wouldn’t regret the decision. So many die waiting for a match, he said.

Twice, near midnight, he and his wife Virginia got the call and traveled the half hour trip to the hospital from where they were living in Raleigh, N.C., only to be sent home because in each of those cases, the heart turned out not to be right for him. Wondering how many other false alarms there would be, they worried. But the third call was the charm.

The wait was over, but the first year after the transplant was not the immediate return to good health Mr. Springsteen had hoped for.

“The first year was rough,” he said. Then, as now, he was on immune suppressive medication to keep his body from rejecting the new organ. But it took awhile before his body made the adjustment.

He doesn’t know anything about his donor since that person’s family hasn’t chosen to make the information available. But he’s grateful to whoever it was for this second chance at life that with Virginia on Shelter Island.

His mother was a harelegger, born in the house, built in 1868 by his ancestors, that the Springsteens call home today. He spent many summers on the Island when he was growing up in Brooklyn. As a young man, he served in the Army, studied at Syracuse University and later earned a bachelor of science degree from City College of New York, attending classes at night. He started working at IBM fixing machines, but went on to become a programmer and was involved in troubleshooting software problems. The company  job led to moves from Brooklyn to Glen Clove and later to Raleigh, N.C., where he and Virginia lived for about 20 years.

It was good fortune to be living there when a transplant was needed since it was only a matter of a few months before the hospital was able to locate a heart that would match Mr. Springsteen. He yearned to return to the Island, a difficult choice to make because of the many friends they made.

But ultimately, they made the move to the Island full-time and, thanks to the many programs and services available through the Senior Center, have found become a part of the community with many new friends..

You’ll find them at the Senior Center for lunches on Wednesdays and at the Presbyterian Church for lunches on Mondays and Fridays. They enjoy concerts and other programs and since the pandemic hit in 2020, just the opportunity to be able to walk outdoors and not feel isolated has been special.

While his computer skills were well honed at IBM and science a life-long passion, his fascination with tracking weather started when an aunt gave him a barometer. Barometric pressure is a leading indicator of inclement weather.

At first, he didn’t have a lot of money to invest in other expensive equipment, but over time, he was able to add other instruments to track temperature, dew point, precipitation amounts and other weather factors. He posts his readings on a site accessible through wunderground.com/wundermap. He knows there are a few others on the Island doing the same, but isn’t sure where they all they are.

It’s strictly a hobby, Mr. Springsteen said. But at the same time, he believes he’s providing a service, since the National Weather Service, which reports on both North and South fork weather, doesn’t provide readings for Shelter Island.

With a new heart and a home on the Island, the forecast is sunny, indeed.