Nurse steps in to make heart transplant a reality for patient

When Lori Wood, a nurse at Piedmont Newnan Hospital in Georgia, found out last December that one of her patients was removed from the heart transplant list, she knew she had to do whatever it took to get him back on it.

Jonathan Pinkard, 27, has autism, and was removed from the list because he didn't have anyone to take care of him after the surgery. He needed a person to drive him to appointments and ensure that he took his anti-rejection medications, but his mother was in a rehab facility and unable to help. Wood decided to ask Pinkard if she could become his legal guardian. "It was a no-brainer," she told Today. "He would have died without the transplant."

Wood and Pinkard have grown close, and together at home, they watch football and Family Feud. "We like game shows and high five back and forth if we get an answer right," Wood said. "He is very loving." Pinkard's heart transplant was in August, and Wood kept her promise, helping him keep track of the 34 pills he must take daily and driving him to doctor's appointments. "She treats me like one of her sons," Pinkard told Today. "I am truly thankful for that."

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