Heart Transplant Recipient and World Traveler, Jordan D. Marcia!

Guest, Jordan D. Marcia joins Guest Host, Megan Tones again this week. He talks to her about his goal to visit countries all over the world and how he has traveled to many different countries. Jordan and Megan share some travel stories and tips for other Heart Warrior travelers. You won't want to miss this fun, adventurous show!

The Hearts Unite the Globe (HUG) nonprofit organization is happy to welcome our newest Patreon subscribers, David and Ann Corbly to our HUG family.

Transcript

Copy Transcript Copied

spk_0:   0:00
Greetings, Friends, you are in for a treat today. This is another bonus episode of heart to Heart With Ana. We finished Season 12 focusing on organ donation and transplantation. A couple weeks ago last week, guest host Megan Toes interviewed heart transplant recipient Jordan deem Arcia about developing plastic bronchitis and how a heart transplant stopped the plastic bronchitis in its tracks. Jordan also talked to Megan about how he was immune, suppressed due to his heart transplant and then developed cancer. He is now I cancer conqueror, and today he's here to talk with Megan about his new goal. Enjoy an international program today featuring Megan Tones from Australia and Jordan de Mercia from Canada. In today's episode entitled Heart Transplant Recipient and World Traveler, Jordan de Mercia, Take It Away, Megan

spk_3:   1:07
Thio With I'm Making Times and the guest host of today's program. This is a spineless episode of Season 12 of Heart to Heart, with Anna Theme. This season is organ donation and transplantation.

spk_2:   1:21
So I'm very excited for today, showed a feature. A seasoned traveler. He is here

spk_3:   1:26
today to share his story with us about his heart journey and to help us better understand what a injured and what he needed. A heart transplant. Jordan Marcia was born with transposition off the Great Arteries, or T. J. A. He had multiple open heart surgeries attempting to repair the problems his heart had, but unfortunately, they were not successful. And to complicate matters more, he developed a rare lung problem. Owners plastic, bronchitis, having both heart and lung problems. It became apparent that Jordan had to have a new heart, anything less, and he just wouldn't make it.

spk_2:   2:01
Luckily for Jordan, he received his heart transplant and the plastic bronchitis disappeared, making him the first known survivor off that potentially life threatening illness. Which is the reason he's on our

spk_3:   2:12
program today. In addition to surviving plastic bronchitis, he has had to deal with cancer as well. He has a philosophy

spk_2:   2:20
on life that he will share with us. That is probably the key to how he cheated

spk_3:   2:23
death overnight for again. Welcome to heart to heart with Anna Jordan.

spk_4:   2:29
Thanks so much. I'm happy to be here,

spk_3:   2:31
Jordan. You're telling us that your goal is to visit all 196 sovereign nations off the world? You must have quite a love of travel, and that's what I want to talk to you about. Now, as a traveler myself, I know it's gonna be really hard just to pick, you know, one or two stories, but can you tell us about a couple of your experiences you've had or countries that you've been to that have really left a lasting impression? Boy,

spk_4:   2:58
the most memorable experience was the first time I decided to go off on this journey. I told my mom and dad what I was doing. They freaked out. I told my doctor's a freaked out.

spk_3:   3:09
I bet they did.

spk_4:   3:11
And then I told him that I'd already bought the tickets. And so I sold everything I owned, jumped on a plane to Thailand, and when I arrived in Bangkok, I stepped off the plane, got on the first bus that I could took me all the way to cosign road and just the craziness of what? The hustle, the constant noise, the rush, that the history, the beauty, it it hit me like a rock. And I knew that. You know, this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, and I just wanted to travel. That was in the beginning. After that, I decided to travel to allow from Thailand by boat. And it was a two day travel that consisted of staying on an island. Well, that island actually shut down all of its power. After eight o'clock, there was just candles everywhere. And there was Children playing around in the street, shooting water, guns at each other at, like, 10 12 o'clock at night. Just living life on this island with no power. And that was just unbelievable to see in Myanmar, a group of us around four we arrived in begun by Boston about 3 a.m. We dropped off all of our stuff in our hotel around four, grab some electric bikes and went straight up for the pyramids. We had to scramble up to the top so we could get a good spot before sunrise. And seeing the sunrise over pyramids in Myanmar in Bergen was just He was outstanding. That wasn't a few. I've got tons of these experiences that they run parallel to each other.

spk_3:   4:36
No, it's it's very moving. Travel it. It really does change you. I think so. You were saying back there that you really want to live life to the full and that Sure, completely on a fried now. But I was wondering, during your travels have you ever had in a, um, kind of scary health experiences or had to go to a local doctor or hospital?

spk_4:   4:59
Yeah, when I was in pie in Thailand is the northern Thailand. I was driving on a dirt road with a bunch of friends, my bike and a pothole. Mike went one way. I went another way, and I ended

spk_3:   5:11
up

spk_4:   5:11
getting road rash all the way up my arm off the side of my lats and into my back. After I give my way to the hospital that actually use tweezers to pull out all of the rubble in my arm down my back and and everything before that, they could start throwing alcohol on it and actually patching me up. I got lucky because it only cost me about $10 Canadian for the entire thing. That was the worst experience I ever had with having to do. Ah ah hospital there in a foreign country.

spk_3:   5:43
And did you find the language barrier was a bit of a problem with getting treatment.

spk_4:   5:48
Yes, some parts of these countries, the language is fine and other parts they're not. When I was in Thailand and pie, it's honestly hit or miss, Like some people, it's fluent, And in that hospital it was, I don't know what's going on. So I basically have 2.2 things pointing to the alcohol, pointing to the tweezers, pointing to the gods, pointing to my scars of my road rash and then making the actions in order for them to understand what I was talking about and what had happened.

spk_3:   6:17
I see I have to go to a doctor in Japan once, and I had a cold and the doctor spoke English. But all of the other stuff didn't. So I had a bit of an interesting time there to trying to explain what was going on. It was funny. The doctor spoke perfect English, and he actually had a son with C H D say, have some interesting experiences, for sure

spk_6:   6:43
takes his heart into street. We're offering us a mechanical hot, and he said, now that I've had enough to give it to someone who's worthy. My father promised me a golden dressed twirl. It held my hand and asked me where I wanted to go. Whatever strive for conflict that we experienced in our long career together was always healed by humor.

spk_5:   7:03
Heart to heart With Michael Please join us every Thursday at noon, Eastern as we talked with people from around the world who have experienced those most difficult moments

spk_6:   7:19
forever by the Baby Blues sound collective. I think what I love so much about this CD is that some of the songs were inspired by the patient's

spk_5:   7:29
many listeners will understand many of the different songs and what they've been inspired. Our new album will be available on iTunes. Amazon dot com. Spotify.

spk_6:   7:39
I love the fact that the proceeds from this CD are actually going to help those with congenital heart defects.

spk_5:   7:46
Enjoy the music

spk_0:   7:47
home tonight forever.

spk_1:   7:56
You are listening to heart to heart with Anna. If you have a question or comment that you would like to dress down show, please send an email to Anna Dworsky at Anna at heart to heart with anna dot com. That's Anna at heart to heart with anna dot com Now back to heart to heart with Emma

spk_3:   8:16
I was going to ask you a question now, just about traveling. So I know technically you don't have CHD anymore. But a lot of people with CHD would absolutely love to

spk_2:   8:28
travel and do some of the things that you're I get to do. But they're a little bit worried about things like getting travel insurance, or that they will be too tired or not well enough to travel. So I was just wondering how you coped with with these sorts of problems. I know that you mentioned that that your doctors originally went too happy with you going. God always say, that didn't stop you.

spk_4:   8:54
No,

spk_5:   8:54
I'm in a

spk_4:   8:55
unique position where I'm 20 years post transplant. Now, after traveling as much as I have, I can go to my doctors and say, This is where I'm going and they don't really bat an eye at me. When I was younger, we always had to clear it. I had to make sure this goes for Children all the way to adults. You have to make sure that first of all, you're in good health from a doctor's point of view, so you want to make sure that you can actually go to this place you want to make sure that you have the rights medicine with you, you won't have enough medicine, but you have the right vaccinations for certain countries.

spk_5:   9:28
I would also

spk_4:   9:29
say that if you're too tired or you don't feel up to it, you don't have to go to Thailand. You'll have to go to Australia or or Europe like if you're in Canada or if you're in Australia, where if you're in the U. S. You know, take a trip over to the next province or the next state, see how you're feeling. See what happens. Gauge yourself. And from that point you'll be able to make a decision. If doing something longer period is is suited for your for your position, I would never tell someone. And yeah, you know what? Just because you're in this position, I did it. You could do it. That's not from the case.

spk_2:   10:03
No, that's really good advice, Actually, I think. Thank you, Jordan. Before the break, you were telling us about your wonderful experiences with the traveling at Some given me the travel bug again, that's for sure. You gave a bit of advice thio US listeners about maybe planning a shorter trip before going off on a longer one. So in this segment, I'd like to talked a little bit more about advice you have. For others who would want to travel? For many people in the search de community, travel insurance can be a bit of a barrier to going somewheres. I just wonder. Don't do you have thio use trip insurance at all? If not, why not? And if you do use trip insurance, how difficult defund it is to get. If you've had a transplant,

spk_4:   10:54
I do use it. I use B C A A here in Canada, but being 20 years post transplant, they'll really bat an eye at me. And I'm so far post. When I was younger, I was able to use my dad's travel insurance with his company. But in terms of being less than, let's say, 10 years, there are certain companies travel insurance wise that specifically work with transplant recipients so that they can give them the best rate and allow them to actually travel. I do know that a lot of the time travel insurance companies will just turn you down, so it's best to do an actual search on Google. Look up specific transplant travel insurance policies within your area, and you should be able to get travel insurance for you at an affordable rate by 100%. Recommend it. If something happens to you and you have the insurance, you're covered. If something happens and you don't have it, you're in bigger trouble than anybody else because the costs are gonna be through the roof.

spk_3:   11:54
The couple of times that I've gotten sick overseas, if it's just a doctor's visit, I usually just pay for it. But if something happened and I had to go to hospital, I'll be really glad to have the insurance. Absolutely. Oh, that's that's great advice to shop around. Another thing, obviously with travel, is that it can cost you a lot of money. A lot of people I know would love to travel. They just can't really afford it. Is there any advice you'd

spk_2:   12:22
have it there for people who want to travel but might not have much in the bank?

spk_4:   12:27
The first thing I would recommend is grab a little bit of a side hustle, something that you could do from home. There are companies online that will let you be a virtual assistant, working 10 hours a week online with other companies around the world, which is actually what I do. My contract myself boat to marketing companies in Australia, in the U. K. And in the United States, and that helps me toe travel almost full time. That's one way to do it. The other way is stopped buying so many things you don't need my friends dr above us all the time, and I the first thing I say is honey coffees to buy. It takes me time buying a lunch at the corner store or at Sable and Foods or something like that. Restrict what you're spending and just make the food at home. Take what you're going to spend and then put it into, like, a little travel jar on. By the end of the year, you'd be really surprised how much you're actually saying. If you combine that with your little side hustle, you're good to go. You pretty much have a trip for next year.

spk_3:   13:25
That's great advice. You know, I do the 2nd 1 restrict buying stuff that I don't need it. It's amazing how much you can save that way. Yeah, I think the the side hustle. That's an excellent idea as well. If you've got time to do that, I think absolutely.

spk_5:   13:43
Hey, guys, how's going? My name is Jordan de Marcia's. I make videos on Facebook with other organ transplant recipients and my life after transplant as I travel across the world. Currently, I aim to be the first heart transplant recipient to visit all 196 countries in the world. You can follow me on Instagram and Facebook at Jordan de Mar CIA. Dworsky has written several books to empower the congenital Heart Defect or C H D community. These books could be found at amazon dot com or at our website www dot baby hearts press dot com. Her best seller is The Heart of a Mother, an anthology of stories written by Women for Women in the CHD community and his other books. My Brother Needs an Operation, The Heart of a Father and Hypo Plastic Left Heart Syndrome. A Handbook for parents will help you understand that you are not alone. Visit baby hearts press dot com to find out more Theo

spk_3:   14:56
last question. I know a little bit about this because I've watched some of your videos, but not everybody has. So you probably want to expand on this one a little bit for a lot of ch. Dia's illness is a bit of a barrier to travel, so they're a little bit worried if they go by somewhere that the stress and the travel will wear them out and I'll get sick. Do you have any advice for making life easier on yourself when you're traveling?

spk_4:   15:25
When I'm traveling? I do things differently just because of how far post I am. And I don't not to listen to my doctors all the time for everybody listening to this. Don't do that from their doctors.

spk_3:   15:35
I've done that.

spk_4:   15:36
Yeah, sometimes it happens. I would recommend bring a mask with you if it makes you feel comfortable Brings hand sanitizer. I have that on me all the time. Just the way any bad bugs that could potentially harm you. Make sure you have all your vaccinations. Clear it with your doctors so they know exactly where you're going. They can tell you the potential risks that are coming up if you feel sick. If you don't feel up to it. If something comes up and we're talking like a week out from when you're supposed to go somewhere. Please don't go. Reschedule it. Put it off. Do something because it's not worth the 12 weeks or however long you're you're traveling to somewhere fun and exciting for you to just get more sick than you already. Maybe, just so you can say, Oh, I've been to X Country or ex Tater X X Province, right? Absolutely.

spk_0:   16:29
Dublin. One more

spk_3:   16:30
thing I thought I'd check with you about is all your medication. I understand if you've had a transplant that you have quite a bit of medication that you have to take. What happens with that when you travel? Is it just a matter of getting a doctor's letter making sure everything's in its original box? Or is there anything kind of special that you've had to do with any of the places?

spk_4:   16:53
I have an interesting story on that one. I just go to my doctors. I get prescriptions filled out for however long time traveling, which is anywhere between three and six months at a time. Make sure I have everything in order and I put them into a bag with a note from my cardiologists explaining that these are all legal, these air for my heart and they keep me alive. And that seems to push away any people that want to take them away from me. I have never, ever had an issue with anybody in any country beyond asking me about, Um the only issue I ever had was when I tried to bring them from Canada into Thailand. Be a shipping it over because I didn't want to come home. I wanted to just stay out in the country, and it ended up causing a huge problem going to send it back. So don't do that. Just

spk_3:   17:41
All right,

spk_4:   17:42
get a surplus. Make sure you have enough, and then go.

spk_3:   17:46
I ran into

spk_4:   17:46
a bit of

spk_3:   17:47
trouble with my tablets. Well, until I'm not that I had anything I wasn't supposed to have or anything like that. I think that when I was going into Japan, they just didn't really understand what I had. And they took me into a little room for about half an hour and they called up all these people. Then I stamp my passport and let me go, so I don't know what that was about. I usually just keep them to myself. And don't show them unless some asked again. I've never had an imagined trouble leather, which is which is good. I think you've given some really good advice for paper with traveling, cause, um, I know you're probably not in any Satch Day groups, but it comes up on awful lot.

spk_4:   18:26
I should probably get in some just like and start answering questions. It's hard for me, though, because I had to transplant at such a young age. I had no real obstacles in my way other than doing to my doctors and saying, Hey, I'm gonna go do this and then just hang, okay? But don't be stupid.

spk_2:   18:46
I'm on the same with travel. Well, apart from having a bit of ch EF generally pretty good. So, like a long as I'm sensible when I don't push myself too hard, I don't need a bunch of salty food. I drink plenty of water, get plenty of sleep. But I don't have any any issues, really. I mean, that's why I get a bit annoyed with the travel insurance still echo. Will you have hot failure? We don't want to ensure you. And I think we'll

spk_4:   19:12
just in the latest had Sorry. It was the biggest annoyance I had.

spk_2:   19:19
All right.

spk_4:   19:21
I found a company that was like, Yeah, you're fine.

spk_2:   19:23
Yeah, I found a couple that a that a usually Okay, but they do charge a bit more, Which annoys makes I think you give insurance for, you know, some young person to go to Bali and do silly things and hurt themselves. But you won't give insurance for me to go somewhere and be careful. That's Yeah, there. Yes, but I think you're just that you've been on the show courts will be promoting the show around CHD communities and with the show. If if you want, I'm sure we'll be able to promote like your If you have a YouTube channel or a Facebook

spk_3:   20:05
page or anything like that for people to go on follow you.

spk_4:   20:08
Yeah. So everything I do have YouTube, I don't touch it. Other than just throwing up a video. I focus more on my Facebook watch channel. Just cause I could drop $100 into video, 100,000 plus views on it, and then we target it just so that I could build that community to a point where I could do that full time.

spk_3:   20:29
Yeah, Yeah. I'm happy Thio to share your page around If if you're comfortable with me sharing, you know, anyone that has questions or anything because

spk_2:   20:39
you've got some really good videos on there that gives him advice, you know, for staying healthy when you're away and things like that, because I unopened we went thio Egypt. That was alive years ago. I had to be very careful about water and taken food and things like that. We had a private guy just because it was a bit dangerous to be there. Yeah, he was. He was really good with sort of looking after, you'd be like, Oh, no, donate that thing. Put lemon juice all net before you eat it. Hey, was it was fantastic. And

spk_4:   21:14
I'm just a little rescue. I, uh I was specifically told not to go to India, and then I left India from Sri Lanka because it's part of the 196 countries. So I have

spk_2:   21:24
Let's say yeah, yeah,

spk_4:   21:26
and I basically emailed my doctor when I got to India, like, hey, so I'm in India. And, um, I understand why you told me that I shouldn't come here because it's just extremely, uh, it's not clean. I

spk_2:   21:44
haven't been to India, but, yeah, I have heard. I don't know if it's true, but I heard that rumor. You know that people eat with one hand and use the other one toe kind of clean up after themselves.

spk_4:   21:57
Yeah, it's some. Yeah, Some areas, yes, but for the most part, that's

spk_2:   22:03
after. Yeah, I thought,

spk_4:   22:04
Remember, But their natural

spk_2:   22:05
that wouldn't have a case.

spk_4:   22:07
There is truth to the garbage in the streets smells. There's Ah tribe of cannibals that live on one end of the river. And on the top end of the river is another tribe that burned their their deceased and then send them down the river for religious reasons. Then, at the bottom of the river, the cannibalistic tribe takes that body out and they feed on it. Uh, there's there's areas where you know it's it's crazy. There's areas where, um, we were told the first thing that I learned there was if you're gonna eat street food, anybody, it doesn't matter if your organ recipient CHD anybody. If you're gonna eat the street food always go to a place where as many people as possible. And it's not because, oh, it's good street food. It's because the food is coming off the grill into people's mouths.

spk_2:   22:57
I say, Hey,

spk_4:   22:58
I got back to camp buildup,

spk_2:   23:00
right? Right. That makes sense, That sense

spk_4:   23:03
all I did, I would only go to places that had a ton of people on. That way I could roll. It would be like yellow. Four of those, please. And it would be, you know, right there making for me into my hand was done.

spk_2:   23:14
Yeah, yeah. Hey, get some great food that way. Definitely. Jordan, I I understand that you've got a Facebook page or a Web page where you share some of your travel stories and make a few videos about your trips that you've been on. Would you like to share that with us?

spk_4:   23:32
Absolutely. It's on Facebook. It's a watch channel, sort of like a TV show, and it's called Jordan Deem Arcia Jordan within a and then M a R C. I. A

spk_2:   23:43
awesome Will anyone at their with CHD or who is a heart transplant recipient? Make sure you check that page out. If you want to go somewhere and and see the world, thanks so much Jordan for coming on the show today. It's been really inspirational for us to hear about how someone who had plastic broom Kostas and cancer and received a heart transplant has been able to travel and do so much and live life to the fullest like you have.

spk_4:   24:10
Thanks so much for having me on this on the show today.

spk_2:   24:13
You know, it's been been a pleasure, so that concludes this bonus episode of heart to heart With Anna. Thanks so much for listening today. You can find the show on YouTube. Just look up Anna's name. That's Anna Dworsky. That's JW O R s K I. And subscribe. And remember, my friends, you are not alone.

spk_1:   24:37
Heart to heart with Anna is a presentation of hearts, Unite the Globe and is part of the hug Podcast Network Hearts unite The Globe is a nonprofit organization devoted to providing resource is to the congenital heart defect community to uplift and power and enrich the lives of our community members. If you would like access to free resource, is pretending to the C H T Community. Please visit our website at www congenital heart defects dot com for information about CHD, the hospitals that treat Children with CHD summer camps for CHD survivors and much, much more. Thank you again for joining us this week way. Hope you have been inspired on Empowered to become an advocate for the congenital heart defects community. Heart to heart with Anna With your hose down, Dworsky can be heard every Tuesday at 12 noon Eastern time.