Husband and Wife of 55 Years Dance Again After Heart Transplant

Jack and Barb Goltz glide effortlessly across the dance floor, their waltz steps perfectly synchronized. Aaron Weiss, MD, PhD, treasures the 41-second video of the Tallahassee, Florida couple, Jack sent him a few months ago. In doing so, Jack fulfilled a promise made to Dr. Weiss, moments before his life-saving heart transplant began in September 2020.

“As one of the many caregivers involved in Jack’s care, it really made me happy to see him and his wife being so active and enjoying an activity they love,” says Dr. Weiss, a Cleveland Clinic cardiac surgeon. “All we want to see is our patients are back to living healthy lives. That’s why we do this. It really warmed my heart, no pun intended.”

Jack’s life had a myriad of challenges leading up to his transplant. After suffering a heart attack while on a business trip to Arkansas in 2001, his health slowly deteriorated in the following years, despite undergoing heart bypass surgery and other interventions performed by medical teams near his Florida home.

“I was still functioning – washing the car, doing yard work and dancing with Barb,” recalls Jack, who taught high school music and coached football, served in the U.S. Navy and taught piano at Florida State University while obtaining a doctoral degree. “But I was getting slower and slower. I couldn’t go very far or very fast.”

The morning of his initial consultation with transplant cardiologist, Ziad Taimeh, MD, Jack remembers having to stop and rest a few times during the three-block walk from his hotel.

For three days, Jack underwent a battery of tests from a team of specialists, who verified he was suffering from end-stage ischemic cardiomyopathy. He was immediately admitted to the hospital as the team prepared his case. His cardiologists would need to present the detailed findings from their evaluation of Jack to the hospital’s heart transplant review committee to determine if he was a good candidate.

As part of the transplant application process, Jack was asked to demonstrate he was active enough to receive a new heart. He told everyone how often he used to dance with his wife.

Days later, Jack was approved for a transplant and placed on the Cleveland Clinic transplant waiting list. Amazingly, within one week, a donor heart became available.

“I remember thinking, ‘These guys work fast!’” says Jack. “It all happened so quickly I didn’t really feel anxious or worried. When it happened, I was ready.”

As Jack was being wheeled into the operating room, Dr. Weiss requested Jack send an updated video of him and Barb dancing again, once he recovered from the transplant.

Jack promised he would do so, but first, he endured a rather lengthy recovery, complicated by his transplant occurring during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

After a few weeks in the hospital, Jack and Barb moved into the Transplant House of Cleveland, a facility that provides temporary housing and supports patients and families going through a transplant journey. Soon after, Jack underwent another minor surgery and completed rehab before returning home to Florida in June 2021.

“Jack’s story is a testament to the true culture at Cleveland Clinic. Our various caregiver teams worked harmoniously as a unit to evaluate, list, transplant and care for Jack,” says Dr. Taimeh. “We couldn’t be happier to see him healthy and back to living an active life.”

Today, Jack is thriving. He’s back to swimming, doing yard work, spending time with his kids and granddaughters, and of course, dancing with Barb.