On Friday morning, Jason Lange woke up, brushed his teeth, got dressed for his job as assistant Head of Middle School, and drove to school — an unremarkably normal routine.  

But for Lange, the last 12 months have been anything but normal.  

A year ago, he was asking the nurses for just five more minutes to talk to his father, fearing it might be the last conversation they ever had.  

Fortunately, a heart transplant operation was successful, but the long road to recovery meant he had to put his life on hold. The explorative nature that made him the travel guru that he was prior to the procedure was bottled up. He stepped away from sharing his photography on social media, and, for the first time in 34 years, he did not go on a skiing trip with his father.  

The morning after his procedure, his doctor, Dan Meyer, walked in and asked him what his goals for a year from now were, and he responded, “I want to ski double black diamonds by December.”  

Throughout the rehabilitation process, the St. Mark’s community stayed with him every step of the way. The support system was almost overwhelming, encouraging him to continue striving to return to the classroom where he is such a positive influence on students.  

And Friday, he walked into work a full year after his livelihood was up in the air and was greeted by his coworkers with a surprise party to celebrate his recovery.  

“It’s been overwhelming all day,” Lange said. “I’ve just been smiling from ear to ear, and I feel loved and cared for and supported by this community. Here I am, a year later, and I know I never would have made it without them. It reminds me of all the people from St. Mark’s who came to visit me in the hospital, promising me that better days were ahead and that they’d be celebrating with me for my one-year anniversary.”  

Just last week, he revisited the 10th floor of Roberts Hospital in Baylor to thank the nurses who helped save his life. 

“I told the nurses there I would love to come back on a regular basis and talk to patients who are waiting for a heart or just got out of heart transplant surgery,” Lange said. “I just to have conversations with them. I understand (what they are going through) in ways that many others don’t, but hopefully they could see me doing well, living a full life, and inspire them with the same hope that was inspired in me.” 

While he will still have to go to bi-annual checkups and get frequent blood work done, he’s ready to go live his life. 

“In that hospital bed I was thinking about how someday I’ll be able to go back to St. Mark’s and continue to work with the boys and my colleagues there and continue the mission of making this world a little better place,” Lange said. “And here I am, it feels good to be here. I’m definitely in a celebratory mood because I feel like I’ve accomplished something, and I’ve worked hard to get here.” 

While Lange’s personality is anything but average, he was thrilled to hear his doctor tell him that he was medically unremarkable.  

So, if you are looking for Lange this winter, just check his Instagram. You’ll surely see all of his photos from his trip to the Italian Alps, where he will once again be doing what he loves, skiing with his dad.

Read more about Lange’s story here: https://smremarker.com/2667/life/matters-of-the-heart/