Episcopal Bishop Gets New Heart In Stable Condition After Surgery

Episcopal Bishop Jeff Terry got a new heart Thursday during a six-hour transplant operation.

He was listed in critical condition at Sacred Heart Medical Center, but doctors said he is stable and the surgery went well.

Terry, 60, is the spiritual leader of 6,000 families in Eastern Washington and North Idaho.

Diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, a disease that enlarged and weakened his heart, he has been on the heart-transplant list for two years. He was intermittently hospitalized throughout that period, permanently since late September.

Terry was released from the hospital for four hours Wednesday to preside over the funeral of the Rev.

Betsy Smylie, who died of brain cancer. She was the wife of the Rev. John Smylie, dean of St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral.

Terry’s role in the funeral was limited to a short prayer at the end of the service. He walked in and out of the cathedral unassisted, but with great effort. He did not wear his traditional heavy robe and miter.

In recent weeks, Terry had twice been prepped for surgery, only to learn of last-minute glitches.

Terry’s surgeons flew to Alaska, only to discover the donor heart was diseased. Another heart was passed over because the potential donor died in a small town where diagnostic equipment needed to screen the heart was not available.

While the delays were agonizing, they allowed Terry to attend Smylie’s funeral.

“It’s God’s action,” said the Rev. Ken Beason, from St. John’s. “Only God could time it that way.”

The next three months will be a crucial period, as doctors watch Terry for signs that his body is rejecting the new heart.

News of the surgery was spreading through several prayer chains throughout the region.

“The response for a lot of people is to get down on their knees and get to work praying,” Beason said. “We will be doing a lot of that for the next three months.”