April 1, 2024

On the Monday after Easter, Lange made his return to campus for the first time in nearly five months. He wears a mask to protect himself because, as his new heart adjusts to his body, his immune system is highly compromised.
Following the surgery, Lange’s journey is still far from over. With the heart transplant behind him, Lange is now anticipating a kidney transplant.
“I had a mild form of chronic kidney disease before I had the heart transplant,” Lange said. “It was masked by the heart problems I had and was relatively mild, but the heart surgery has exacerbated the problems to the point where they’ve gone into failure. They’re still doing enough, and I am not on dialysis, but the medications I take to protect my heart poison my kidneys.”
The necessary medications are plentiful. Every day, Lange now takes 20 pills — even one single missed dose could spell disaster, so he keeps supply everywhere he goes.
Despite this, Lange maintains a grateful and positive outlook on his life. Now, instead of struggling to fall asleep for fear of being shocked, he can rest easy knowing his heart rate is…normal. Lange is also grateful for both the support of his family and friends and the flexibility of the administration during his time of need, headed by Headmaster David Dini, who invited Dr. Meyer to speak at December’s Lessons and Carols as tribute to his actions.
However, Lange still has one final question to wrestle with.
How does one honor their heart donor?
For a while after surgery, Lange had been grappling with the idea that he had someone else’s heart, according to Westbrook.
“I might never be able to reconcile the fact that someone else had to die for me to live,” Lange said. “Every morning, I wake up, and I know I have someone else’s heart. I know it, but now I don’t feel it. I don’t feel like I have someone else’s heart.”
One year after his transplant, Lange has the opportunity to write a letter to the family of his heart donor. In the month following his surgery, he was unsure if whether he would, but now, things have changed.
“I think I will write that letter,” Lange said. “I want (the heart donor’s family) to know your loved one’s heart is allowing me to go on and do the things that I love — that I will do my best to take care of it, to live a good life and to help influence others positively. And that I’m only able to do that because your loved one made the ultimate sacrifice.”