OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma City Dodgers and INTEGRIS conclude the 2018 “Home Run For Life” series Friday at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark by recognizing Paul Ferguson, one of two people in the state of Oklahoma and surrounding region living with a Total Artificial Heart.

Ferguson had a history of cardiac issues and already had two mechanical heart valves when he was admitted to INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center in early December 2017 with a failing heart at the age of 65. In order to save his life, doctors took the bold step of removing Ferguson’s natural heart and replacing it with a Total Artificial Heart.

“Home Run For Life” recognizes individuals in the Oklahoma City community who have overcome a significant medical event with the help of their families, physicians and health care professionals. To symbolize the end of their battle against adversity, honorees take a home run “lap” around the bases during an in-game ceremony.

“For the eighth straight year, we are proud to partner with INTEGRIS to recognize some amazing Oklahomans who have faced extraordinary adversity with their health,” OKC Dodgers President/General Manager Michael Byrnes said. “Their perseverance and courage are great examples and we are pleased to have the opportunity to honor their hard work in overcoming these challenges.”

The Total Artificial Heart is the only FDA-approved device of its kind in the world. While traditional heart pumps assist one side of the heart or the other, the Total Artificial Heart replaces both ventricles. Instead of working with a person’s existing heart, the device is a heart substitute and the natural heart is physically removed from the patient.

“Our experience told us that Paul’s heart disease was so bad that a traditional heart pump wouldn’t be enough,” said Doug Horstmanshof, M.D., heart failure cardiologist and co-director of the INTEGRIS Advanced Cardiac Care program. “So, we decided to try something different – completely replacing the heart with the Total Artificial Heart.”

A constant, rhythmic thumping now follows Ferguson wherever he goes. The steady, pulsing sound of forced air stems from a small pump enclosed in a backpack that never leaves his side. That vital piece of equipment and even beat keep his heart pumping – 131 times a minute to be exact.

The Total Artificial Heart is powered by a portable pneumatic drive connected to the patient’s body by tubes. A heart transplant is often the next step for these patients, and the Total Artificial Heart is designed to allow them to wait for a matching donor heart at home rather than staying in the hospital, potentially for months on end.

Ferguson received his Total Artificial Heart in December and started inpatient rehabilitation at INTEGRIS Jim Thorpe Rehabilitation in January.

“It’s a very humbling experience,” Ferguson said. “It’s a journey.”

He has since returned home to Bethany and is back to enjoying retirement with his family and friends. Ferguson and his wife Kathy have three children and six grandchildren in the Oklahoma City area with whom they share much of their time.

After retirement, the couple purchased lakefront property at Lake Eufaula in eastern Oklahoma. With Ferguson’s Total Artificial Heart, they are still able to visit the lake with their family and enjoy time out on the water riding on their new pontoon boat.

Kathy said her husband has more flexibility than one would expect with his Total Artificial Heart. Charged batteries and electrical outlets need to be within reach wherever they go, but they even have a car charger for the backpack pump to add to his adaptability.

“This goes with me everywhere,” Ferguson said about the backpack. “I just set it down by my chair and I just plug in to the wall.”

Ferguson said he has learned the importance of living every day one day at a time throughout his journey. He is extremely grateful to his wife, family and the staff at INTEGRIS for their tremendous care.

“INTEGRIS is fantastic, and not just because of this,” Ferguson said. “The time I spent up there watching them work with other people, they are truly compassionate and caring people.

“They are very gifted and talented people and they are where they should be.”

Ferguson’s family, children and grandchildren provide his daily motivation. His youngest granddaughter is quickly nearing her second birthday.

“One of my reasons for getting this was my little one,” he said. “I want her to remember me.”

The Dodgers are in the midst of their final homestand of the regular season. They continue a three-game series against the Omaha Storm Chasers at 7:05 tonight at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark and then at 7:05 p.m. on a $2 Thursday, featuring $2 Pepsi products, bottled water and select beer.

The Dodgers’ final home series of the regular season opens against the Colorado Springs Sky Sox at 7:05 p.m. Friday to kick off Fan Appreciation Weekend at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. The OKC Disc Dogs will perform on the field and fireworks will follow the game, presented by Francis Tuttle.

The series continues at 7:05 p.m. Saturday, featuring the Clubhouse Collectibles silent auction presented by The Oklahoman. The final Chaparral Energy Family Sunday takes place at 6:05 p.m. Sunday, before the Dodgers host their final regular-season home game at 7:05 p.m. Monday against Colorado Springs.

Tickets are available through the OKC Dodgers ticket office located on South Mickey Mantle Drive, by phone at (405) 218-2182, or by visiting okcdodgers.com.

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma City Dodgers and INTEGRIS continue the 2018 “Home Run For Life” series Saturday at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark by recognizing Emily Rose Hollins, who was born nearly four months premature and spent 156 days in the INTEGRIS Children’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

Hollins was born at 25 weeks and six days on Feb. 8, 2017, weighing a mere 12.7 ounces at birth. After spending more than five months in the NICU after her birth, Hollins left INTEGRIS as the hospital’s smallest surviving baby ever.

Hollins is thriving today thanks to the care she received at INTEGRIS. Her weight was approaching 15 pounds in April and Hollins was on the verge of both talking and walking.

“Home Run For Life” recognizes individuals in the Oklahoma City community who have overcome a significant medical event with the help of their families, physicians and health care professionals. To symbolize the end of their battle against adversity, honorees take a home run “lap” around the bases during an in-game ceremony.

“For the eighth straight year, we are proud to partner with INTEGRIS to recognize some amazing Oklahomans who have faced extraordinary adversity with their health,” OKC Dodgers President/General Manager Michael Byrnes said. “Their perseverance and courage are great examples and we are pleased to have the opportunity to honor their hard work in overcoming these challenges.”

About two years ago, Melanie Hollins didn’t believe she would be able to have children. The now-43-year-old Bethany resident had been diagnosed with diabetes, high blood pressure and end-stage kidney failure – all hereditary traits in her family tree.

Melanie’s kidneys were functioning at just 13 percent and she was going through the approval process to be placed on the kidney transplant list when she and her husband Alex found out she was pregnant with Emily Rose.

“We were both excited and horrified at the same time,” Melanie said. “Here I was dealing with my own major medical problems and asking myself ‘am I even going to be physically capable of carrying this child?'”

She said everything progressed fine with her pregnancy until about six months in when during a scheduled check-up her doctor said Emily Rose was very small and not growing like she needed to be. Melanie’s kidney function also dropped to 11 percent. Then one night in early February, Melanie experienced strong stomach pains and went to the emergency room.

“They told me, she’s coming today,” Melanie recalled. “That freaked me out.”

At 6:22 p.m., Emily Rose was delivered by Cesarean section and entered the world weighing barely more than a can of soda and less than one pound.

Being born so early, Emily Rose’s body was extremely underdeveloped. She was not able to breathe on her own. She couldn’t physically take a bottle until she was three months old. NICU nurses fed her through a tube to keep her alive.

After a five-month stay in the hospital, Emily Rose weighed 7 pounds, 15 ounces and was released as a healthy baby girl.

Melanie is so thankful to the medical staff at INTEGRIS for their faith, tenacity and willingness to help her daughter against the odds.

“They gave her a chance, and them giving her a chance made all the difference in the world,” Melanie said.

Melanie works today to balance maintenance of her own health with caring for Emily Rose and the rest of her family, including 10-year-old daughter Jacari. Melanie is on dialysis and continues to wait on the kidney transplant list. She said Emily Rose constantly gives her strength thanks to her daughter’s vivacity.

“She’s a little firecracker,” Melanie said. “Full of energy.”

To read Hollins’ full story, visit: milb.com/oklahoma-city/tickets/home-run-for-life-emily-rose-hollins.

The Dodgers continue their homestand at 7:05 tonight on a $2 Thursday featuring $2 Pepsi products, bottled water and select beer. Fireworks are slated to follow Friday’s 7:05 p.m. matchup against Salt Lake, presented by Oklahoma Blood Institute.

The Dodgers open a four-game home series against the Las Vegas 51s at 7:05 p.m. Saturday on Marvel Super Hero Night. Fans who come out to Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark can meet Iron Man and Thor during the game and watch Hollins complete her “Home Run For Life” following the third inning.

Sunday’s 6:05 p.m. game falls on a Chaparral Energy Family Sunday, featuring pregame player autographs, a mascot meet-and-greet, face painters, inflatables and postgame kids run the bases. Five hundred OERB Player of the Month posters, featuring May winner Joe Broussard, will be available to children ages 12 and under as they exit the ballpark Sunday. The posters will showcase an action shot of Broussard, who was selected as the May winner through a social media poll, as well as informational OERB graphics about well site safety.

The series against Las Vegas continues at 7:05 p.m. Monday and wraps up with an 11:05 a.m. game Tuesday at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark on a Summer Field Trip Day. Camps and day cares are encouraged to come out Tuesday for a summer field trip. An OKC Dodgers game ticket, hat and sack lunch are included for the price of $13 per person for groups of 10 or more.

Tickets are available through the OKC Dodgers ticket office located on South Mickey Mantle Drive, by phone at (405) 218-2182, or by visiting okcdodgers.com.