VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Marine Corps Officer Joey Moughan was built for high-intensity training at Quantico and Camp Pendleton. At 25 years old, he was in peak physical shape until end-stage heart failure attacked from the inside.The sudd en illness began in the middle of the night.
"I woke up about 2 in the morning and it felt like it's called dyspnea," Moughan said. "It's the sensation that when you're laying flat, you feel like you're asphyxiating, but it literally felt like somebody was pushing on my chest with like a board."
Tests at Sentara Heart Hospital ruled out COVID-19 and pneumonia, but an ultrasound revealed a terrifying reality.
"A normal score for a healthy adult is between 55 and 65%," Moughan said. "Mine came back at 5. So my heart was only working about 10% of what its efficiency should be... They came in and told me, 'Hey, bit of a curveball for you. You have end-stage heart failure.'"
The diagnosis turned simple tasks into grueling challenges, making a walk down a Walmart aisle feel like a 100-yard sprint. Moughan needed a new heart but was placed at Status 6, the very bottom of the transplant list.
"Basically, if you're a status 6, you are not very likely to get a heart because they're in such high demand," Moughan said. "And somebody that's on that's like a status 1 or a 2, they're essentially bedridden on life support in a hospital."
Against all odds, Moughan received a transplant. Now, he is running to raise awareness for organ donation and help other patients who are still waiting for a match.
The community can support patients and families like Moughan's this weekend at the LifeNet Health Race for Hope 5K and 1-Mile Walk. The event kicks off Saturday at 8 a.m. at the LifeNet Health headquarters in Virginia Beach.
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