SIERRA VISTA, Ariz. — After a lifetime in the Army, then a career with the Sierra Vista Police Department, John Clabourne was a healthy example of the benefits that result from living right when he retired in 2004.
He didn't smoke, wasn't a drinker and exercised regularly.
Together with his wife, Gerri, the Clabournes were the proud parents of two over-achieving sons and looked forward to a peaceful retirement at their rural Sierra Vista homestead where John worked a small horse ranch.
Things changed quickly in 2010, however, when John contracted a virus that compounded an irregular heartbeat and eventually left him with life-threatening congestive heart failure.
After a series of visits to area physicians and specialists, John and Gerri met with Dr. Mary Smith at the University Medical Center in Tucson, where he was recommended for a unique device that has changed his life.
At 71, John was considered too old to undergo surgery for an artificial heart. Instead, Dr. Smith called for a "left ventricular assist device," which works with John's heart to literally keep him alive.
But the journey from diagnosis to surgery, to his eventual return home hasn't been easy on John or his wife.
Beginning in January, 2011, John underwent frequent testing, both physical and psychological, to prepare him for the surgery.
On May 3, 2011, he underwent the surgery and began a long fight for his survival.
"John was unconscious for five weeks after the surgery," Gerri said. "He died three times, because the blood wasn't circulating properly."
John has no recollection of the five weeks he was unconscious. When he eventually awoke, he found his son, Christopher, in the hospital room.
"I asked him if he had spent the night," John said. "I had no idea that I had been out for that long."
Clabourne wasn't released from the hospital until July, well after his wife had survived a difficult time praying for her husband's welfare and dealing with the Monument Fire.
"It was really rough when he was in the hospital," Gerri said.
Now, the Clabournes literally spend every waking moment of the day making sure the battery powered left ventricle assist device is working properly.
John wears a battery pack which is sutured through his stomach and connected to the pump that circulates the blood through the left side of his heart.
Gerri maintains a stock of batteries that are kept fully charged and changed as needed.
In addition to the ordeal survived by her husband, Gerri spent hours at the hospital working with the staff and learning how the equipment works, what she should maintain, and how to diagnose her husband's condition.
"It was a bit overwhelming at first. I was really concerned that I was going to be able to learn it all," Gerri said.
A thick manual was included as part of what John brought home from the hospital, offering pages of instruction and diagrams on how the equipment works.
John Clabourne is one of just five patients in all of Arizona who utilizes the left ventricle assist device. Gerri said there are roughly 8,000 people across the country who have the equipment.
"It's pretty amazing, really," she said. "When we got home, the hospital people met us here and we worked with the local fire department so their people were aware of how the equipment works and what they could do if there is a problem," Gerri said.
John continues to get stronger and more confident wearing the device, and has returned to playing the banjo with members of a music group he is associated with.
And, the couple still has horses. At the small ranch in rural Sierra Vista, the field surrounding the Clabourne home has four horses.
"We're getting along. We aren't moving around like we use to, but it's OK," John said.
Clabourne was the first black police officer hired by the Sierra Vista Police Department in 1979. That job followed an impressive 20-year military career in the Army, where he achieved the rank of first sergeant. The couple traveled extensively during his time in the service, including time in Alaska.
"Sierra Vista and Fort Huachuca was my last assignment," John said.
In addition to John and Gerri, the Clabournes include Christopher, who is an engineer at Raytheon in Tucson, and John, Jr., who is 49.
Information from: Sierra Vista Herald, http://www.svherald.com