Iraq War veteran Keith McCarter felt something was off in 2010, about a year after he left the Army.
It was a feeling that most healthy 25-year-olds never have to experience.
“I started to feel super weak and was not eating,” McCarter said. “Come to find out, I was in end-stage heart failure.”
He needed a new heart but was too weak for a heart transplant. Doctors decided surgery would be best to install a left ventricular assist device (LVAD), a mechanical pump, with the goal of giving McCarter’s heart long-term circular function.
McCarter functioned well with the LVAD for three years, along with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) that relied on electric stimulation to regulate his heart. But due to his fragile heart, McCarter couldn’t exercise to keep his weight down. Before long, doctors installed a gastric sleeve to manage his weight, along with extracting a large section of his stomach.
“I was the first person with the LVAD to have the gastric sleeve done at UW (Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin),” he said.
The surgery resulted in McCarter dropping 100 pounds, significantly upgrading his health, and giving him a new lease on life.
“I did the right thing, listened to the doctors and took my medications consistently – it worked,” McCarter said.
Heart Problems Return
For the next few years, McCarter’s heart improved to an extent that the LVAD was no longer necessary. A second heart surgery was done in 2014 to remove the device.
“Not too many people get the chance to have the LVAD explanted,” he said. “And I’ve lived without it for about 11 years, relying only on my ICD and medications. I felt like a healthy guy.”
Finally feeling healthy, McCarter followed his passion for criminal justice, becoming a sheriff’s deputy in Dane County, Wisconsin. While working in law enforcement can be stressful, McCarter sees the rewards every day and enjoys serving his community.
But just when McCarter was getting comfortable his heart said, “Not so fast.”
He started feeling weak again near the end of 2024. He underwent several procedures and spent weeks in the William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin. Doctors at the VA placed a tiny, catheter-based heart pump below his right collarbone, often referred to as a “baby LVAD.” It was a short-term procedure to stabilize him but, ultimately, McCarter needed a new heart. It was time for a transplant.
He underwent his third heart surgery in March 2025, finally receiving the precious gift from a donor that saved his life.
“It was amazing, and exactly what we were trying to do,” he said. “Being able to live those 10 years meant that a new device became available. That was a big turning point because we hoped the technology would improve if we could make it that far, and it did.”
Back From the Brink
Heart disease in the leading killer in the U.S., claiming one out of three Americans, based off statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Fortunately for McCarter, he noticed symptoms early on and reached out for help. He said his care team at the Madison VA hospital helped him recover, praising one doctor in particular.
“Dr. Murray saved my life in 2011 and has been with me ever since,” McCarter said. “When I first met him with my mom and wife, he cleared his whole evening to talk with us. I knew I was sick, but I didn’t realize I needed a heart transplant. It shocked me.”
The Madison hospital is one of only 13 VA facilities in the country offering major organ transplants.
As of November, McCarter was still on medical leave from his job with Dane County but hopes to soon return to his squad car.
It’s been a long, arduous 15-year journey, but McCarter can finally look forward to getting back to work, leading a normally healthy life.
“I love my job,” he said. “My plan is to make it back.”
