US Man misses heart transplant due to flight delay amid ongoing winter storm

Patrick Holland, aged 56, is the father to seven children and is still seeking a call from the hospital to get his heart transplant while struggling to find a place to stay in Seattle.

Flight disruptions in recent times have become very common. The disruptions in services are usually because of the weather, technical glitches, or some other condition making it difficult to get flight clearance. In such conditions, the passengers are usually the ones to suffer the most. Recently, one such passenger had to bear the brunt of a delay in a flight because of the Winter storm in the US. The man suffering from congestive heart failure missed his heart transplant because of the disruption in the services. Patrick Holland, aged 56, embarked on the journey for his long-awaited transplant after the confirmation from the hospital.

But couldn’t reach the hospital in time because of disruptions. Holland's wife shared the story of the whole incident on a Facebook page called Patrick's Transplant Journey. The man's journey started from Seattle, Fairbanks in Alaska but ended with despair after the flight was cancelled.

However, handling the delicate situation with care, the airline involved put Patrick and his brother on an alternative flight. But to his bad luck, even that flight was re-routed to Anchorage, Alaska. Once again, shattering his hopes. Patrick's wife says in the Facebook post that with the transplant, Holland hoped to live another 30 years but, after the incident, was "deeply traumatized" and left all hope.

In a statement to an NBD affiliate, King-TV Holland said, "I think I cried more that day than I have in my life and had exerted every emotion that I’d never had." After this, Holland started looking for a place to live in Seattle so that he would be on time for the next transplant without knowing whether he would get the call or not. In the latest update, his wife posted on the social media platform saying, "The search is over - Patrick has found a place to stay!"

An unprecedented winter storm that slammed the US has so far claimed 61 lives. The worst-affected area has been Buffalo, New York. Furthermore, the storm has led to the cancellation of over 20,000 flights so far, affecting transportation in multiple regions of the US.