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North Buncombe
Family, friends, faith help man rebuild life
By Matt Tate Don Garrison said the calls
come in from all over the coun- try. Some of the times, he and his wife Margaret do not even know the person on the other end of the line. It’s not a wrong number or a
cloying telemarketer; it’s someone who knows Don’s story and wants to wish him the best. The outpouring of support has
helped the Garrisons persevere through four of the most trying years of their lives. It began with Don’s heart at-
tack in 2006. Surgeries followed, but Don continued to weaken. In early 2009, he was put on a list for a heart transplant at Duke University Hospital. Doctors put in a new heart on
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Halloween night and into the morning of Nov. 1, 2009. Anoth- er surgery was needed to prevent his heart from swelling. In early January of this year, Don finally came home, albeit with the aid of a walker or wheelchair because of other complications that have crept up. The Garrisons return to Duke
now on a regular basis. Despite the emotionally and physically exhausting ordeal, family mem- bers, friends and the couple’s faith continue to provide the family a rock of stability. “God has been so good to us,”
Margaret said. “We don’t have any complaints. Everything that needs to be done, someone has always been here to take care of things.” When the yard has needed
mowing, someone has stepped up. When a fundraiser has been held, the community opened their wal- lets. When the Garrisons were liv- ing in a RV prior to Don’s heart transplant surgery in order to be
Don and Margaret Garrison, along with granddaughter Sara Rogers, are grateful for Don’s new lease on life.
closer to Duke, a family they met at a High Point-area church in- vited them into their home. “You just don’t have families
open their homes to total strang- ers and that’s what we were,” Don said. The Duke staff, the Garrisons
said, has helped them every step and has even invited Don to a cel- ebration Aug. 28 for the hospital’s 25th anniversary of its nationally recognized heart center. Locally, CarePartners stops by
the family’s home three days a week. “It really gives us a lot of confi- dence,” Margaret said of the sup-
port. Don, 63, said the love he has
felt from everyone in his life brought him out of his darkest moments. “Sometimes you want to lay
down and quit. But, you’ve got to get up. You’ve got to continue on,” he said. That process will continue un-
til Don is able to put the walker and wheelchair away and get to the to-do list Margaret jokingly says she is adding to every day. “It’s just been a miraculous
journey,” she said. “We’re just thankful he has a new chance at life.”
Singing benefit A singing benefit for the Garrisons will be held from 7 pm to 9
pm on Aug. 20 at Morgan Hill Baptist Church located at the corner of Barnardsville Highway and Ivy Hill Road. Solid Ground and the Garrison Sisters will perform. All proceeds go to the Garrisons’ medi- cal costs.
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828-254-7936 6 THE TRIBUNE - August 12 - August 18, 2010
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