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A Warsaw man who was one of the first recipients of the Jarvik-7 artificial heart has died nearly 18 years after his transplant.
Ross Lawson, 69, of 616 W. Center St., Warsaw, received an artificial heart in October 1988 and had the Jarvik-7 for approximately eight days before getting a transplant. Lawson died at Lutheran Hospital, Fort Wayne, at 5:20 a.m. Friday, more than 18 years after his life-changing surgery.
Lawson was a native of Peru and moved to Warsaw 21 years ago. He was employed as a pressman at The Times-Union until his heart condition worsened and he was unable to work.
Lawson was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy in March 1986, and by summer 1988, he was weak and unable to perform light physical activities. In August 1988, Lawson was placed on Lutheran Hospital's heart transplant program.
On October 6, 1988, doctors told Lawson he had less than 24 hours to live, and Lawson agreed to have the surgery to implant the artificial heart.
Eight days after the artificial heart was implanted, Lawson received a donor heart.
Eventually Lawson returned to his home in Warsaw, where he resumed a normal life.
Lawson's obituary appears on page 3A.
