Most people don't think twice about ordinary moments until they’re suddenly out of reach.

For Andy Biermann, life once revolved around long walks, motorcycle rides, and weekends spent working on his vintage German coupe with his wife, Sarabeth.

But after a previous coronary bypass surgery, even simple activities became exhausting. The active lifestyle Andy loved was replaced by long days in bed, too fatigued to enjoy his everyday routine.

“It was something I couldn’t ignore anymore,” he remembers.

Experts at UK HealthCare’s Gill Heart & Vascular Institute discovered Andy’s heart was no longer pumping blood effectively. A temporary heart pump was surgically inserted to help stabilize him while he prepared for what he ultimately needed most: a heart transplant.

Even while hospitalized, Andy stayed determined to retain his cardiovascular strength, walking an average of 22 miles each week through the hospital.

Thanks to advanced medicine called TransMedics OCS Heart, which allows donor hearts to travel farther and remain viable longer, Andy received a new heart through UK HealthCare, the largest user of this new technology in the region.

This innovation is helping make more donor hearts than ever available to patients across Kentucky, improving outcomes for recipients like Andy.

Dr. Matthias Loebe, surgical director of heart transplantation at UK HealthCare, led the team that successfully navigated the complexities of Andy’s 36-hour transplant surgery in Lexington.

Today, just one year later, Andy is back to the life he loves: road trips, long walks, and ordinary moments with Sarabeth that no longer feel ordinary at all.