Man with a New Heart

Cousins and lifetime friends Roy "Dean" and LeRoy Walls in 1995. 

Photo by

  
Paula Walls  

Written by 
LeRoy Walls 
CEO 

My cousin, Roy Dean Walls mentally developed "A Blessed Man", during his process of receiving a heart transplant. His faith and great sense of humor was abundant when Paula and I visited with Dean and his wife, Cindy, in the hospital during the 90 days he waited for a heart.

From growing up with Roy Dean (Dean as I call him) I felt sure that if anyone could survive this ordeal it was Dean. He and his two brothers grew up on the farm that adjoined ours. He was the closest cousin and neighbor to me in terms of age, size, interests and athletic ability. We played ball, shot marbles, had calf rodeos, and had fights with rotten pears and much more.

We would often wrestle. Being nearly a year older than Dean, I usually ended up on top. On the occasions when Dean got the upper hand I soon conceded after some head and arm twisting by saying, "Calf rope". No matter how hard I slammed or twisted him, giving up by saying "Calf rope" didn’t seem to be in Dean’s vocabulary.

I’m not surprised, but am certainly proud that during Dean’s heart troubles and heart transplant he never said, "Calf rope".

Here are some excerpts of the verse that Dean typed after getting his new heart and arriving home. Within it you’ll see a great testimony of how things can work out. It also has plenty of evidence that Roy Dean Walls is indeed "A Blessed Man."

Blessed is a man:

• Born in rural America in a loving Christian home.

• Who is taught moral, ethical and spiritual values by parents who live these values and love each other.

• Raised in a country church where friends, relatives and neighbors gather for fellowship and to worship "the true and living God."

Blessed is a man who:

• Recognizes education and learning are keys to the doors which provide a lifetime of challenging opportunities.

• Can serve his country in war and return healthy believing he helped pay the price for freedom many Americans take for granted.

• Finds, loves and marries the right woman who loves, honors, and keeps the vows they have pledged to one another.

• Has children, who from birth to manhood, are the pride of his life.

• Qualifies for a heart transplant program which offers hope and an opportunity of continued life.

• Can get air conditioners and lawn sprinklers repaired while he is in the hospital and receive a card and a promise of prayer as the invoice.

• Nurses and physicians become his friends and can openly share their Christian values and know that each is praying for the other.

• Visited by family and friends and prayed for daily -- even by many friends he does not know, scattered all across this great country.

Blessed is a man who:

• On Father’s Day, 1998 is told that through the loss of an 18-year old son and the love of a family he may never know, a donor heart has been located.

• Survives the surgery because of the miracles of modern technology and the skills of a great team of doctors and nurses.

• Now gets up each morning and thanks God for another sunrise, for another day with his loving wife, for his family and friends, and seeks God’s direction for the new life which is now his future.

Only two weeks after surgery knows he has many obstacles to overcome but has hope and the faith that the past and God’s love has prepared him and will sustain him in the future.

Blessed is a man who discovers his net worth is measured not by what he does or owns but by his family and the friends he has and this is the true "Return on Investment" which represents his life.

By Roy Dean Walls, July 1998

12/31/1999