Jelani “Gino” Laster was living with end-stage heart failure, and every day tested his determination. He was supported by a left ventricular assist device, or LVAD, which helped his heart pump blood but also made daily life and physical activity more challenging. The device sits outside the body, connected to the heart by a cable, and runs on batteries or a power cord that needs to stay connected and maintained around the clock. For Jelani, this meant even simple movements required care and planning.
At the same time, his weight stood in the way of being placed on the heart transplant list. To qualify, he needed to reduce his BMI to a safe range for surgery and recovery. Losing weight under those conditions was no small task, yet he refused to give up.
With guidance and encouragement from his CoreLife care team and the steady support of his nurse practitioner, Myeisha Furr, DNP, FNP, Jelani committed to his health and stayed consistent. Over the course of a year, he lowered his BMI from 46 to 34.4 and officially became eligible for a heart transplant.
We spoke with Jelani and Myeisha about what this journey looked like in real life, the obstacles he faced, and the teamwork and trust that helped him get here.
Speakers:
Dr. Fermin Barrueto, Jr., MD, MBA, FACHE
Jelani Laster
Myeisha Furr, DNP, FNP
Dr. Barrueto Jr.
Tell me about your experience with CoreLife and working with your nurse practitioner Myeisha Furr.
Jelani Laster
Well, for me, I felt like it was almost heaven sent because my cousin, which is almost like my sister, her name is Myeisha. So it really brought some comfort to know that. She has always been really rooting for me. So she started that from day one, it made everything a lot easier. The transition was very easy.
She really kept pushing the goal posts on me as far as my BMI goes. Like she said, in the beginning it was only 40, and I get to 40 then she says well, now you need to get to 38. Then I get to 38 and they’re like maybe 36. I’m like, come on bro, help me out man! I’m working as hard as I can. But she kept me motivated. She kept me going.
Then that’s when she actually sent me to the behavioral health side because she saw it started getting to me and stuff like that. And I’m not really the type of person to sit back and complain. I just do it in my head right?
She always gave me the extra push I needed and it is not just her, it’s everybody here. Like they have really been rooting me on.
Dr. Barrueto Jr.
You found out that you had lost enough BMI to get on the heart transplant list and tell me how it went when you actually told her.
Jelani Laster
It’s funny ’cause I actually had an appointment that day that they called me. I’m in here with her and, and we’re talking about it, we were talking about how close I am and ‘how she’ll be here any day!’
And then I went down the hall to see Megan and they actually called while I was in there with Megan. But of course I didn’t answer ’cause I’m working with Megan.
I go back to the car and I listen to the message and I’m like, we just talked it up, we just talked it up! So I couldn’t wait to get back here to talk to her about it and stuff.
Dr. Barrueto Jr.
So did you go back in after to let her know the news?
Jelani Laster
No, I didn’t want to be rude and stuff and I knew she was in another appointment with a patient.
Myeisha Furr
And I told you, you should have – because that was worth it!
Jelani Laster
So I couldn’t wait to get back here. I was like counting down the days until my next appointment!
Dr. Barrueto Jr.
That is great. Myeisha, what did you feel when you found that out?
Myeisha Furr
I was, I was just excited. I was elated. All his hard work finally paid off, you know, and then I knew he was one step closer to getting back on the field and doing the things he likes to do. Conditioning, working out with his daughter. I was just excited about him getting back to his life.
Jelani Laster
I’m anxious, but I’m still in game mode. Still got my head down. I gotta get that done because beyond losing the weight, I still have to be physically prepared for when it’s over. I gotta make sure my body’s strong enough to heal too. So I still make sure I go to the gym, get my walking in and stuff like that, get everything going.
Because I wanna be as strong as possible. When I had the LVAD, I was so weak going in, I was in the hospital for four months. So I don’t want that to happen again. I don’t wanna be that weak again. And that was the weakest I’ve ever been in my entire life, besides being an infant.
So it has been a big deal for me, I’ve played sports since I was six – I’ve done everything. So yeah, this was a big deal for me. So it was part of my motivation and like I said, they were the village that was pushing me along besides my mom and stuff like that. You know, when it is your family you know they’re going to support you, but when you see people who are not part of your bloodline do it for you it’s like, all right, well we gotta do it! We are getting this done!
Myeisha Furr
We rang the bell. So one of the other things that we do here at CoreLife is when a patient meets their goals, we have a celebratory bell that we ring. So we got a chance to do that and then we’ll be here for you once you have your heart in place to ring the bell again, for when you meet your other goals.
Jelani Laster
Sounds good!