Published: December 5, 2025
Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
Some moments change everything. For Devante McGowan, that moment came on what seemed like an ordinary day at home with the people he loved most.
At just 28 years old, Devante was living his life, spending time with his girlfriend and his 8-year-old son, making plans for the future, going about the everyday rhythms that filled his days. Then, without warning, he collapsed.
What followed was a frantic rush to Norton Audubon Hospital, where doctors delivered devastating news: Devante was in severe heart failure, the result of long-standing high blood pressure that had quietly damaged his heart over time. Both chambers of his heart were failing, and the cascade effect was already underway. Multiple organs were beginning to shut down. In an instant, a young father’s life hung in the balance.
The dedicated team at Norton Heart & Vascular Institute knew they had to act fast. They moved quickly to surgically implant a left ventricular assist device, or LVAD, a mechanical pump designed to support heart function and keep blood flowing through his body. For many patients, this intervention would mark the turning point. But for Devante, it was only the beginning of a much longer journey.
“Because his condition had progressed and affected other organs, Devante needed additional support to keep his heart beating,” said Emily E. Corsentino, APRN, nurse practitioner with the Norton Heart & Vascular Institute Advanced Heart Failure & Recovery Program.
The reality was sobering: Devante’s body was fighting on multiple fronts.
In addition to the LVAD, he required a temporary right-side ventricular assist device to support the right chamber of his heart. His kidneys, overwhelmed by the crisis, needed dialysis for an extended period. His body was working overtime just to stay alive, and it would take nearly six weeks in the hospital before his heart and other vital organs showed signs of stability.
Bassel Alkhalil, M.D., cardiologist with the Advanced Heart Failure & Recovery Program, understood the complexity of what Devante was facing.“Most of our LVAD patients have heart failure isolated to the left side of the heart, but Devante’s heart failure was affecting both the left and right sides,” he said. “His liver, kidneys and lungs were deteriorating too. At some point, hope may have been lost, but our collaboration with all specialties and the patient’s determination to live ended in a life saved.”
It was a team effort in every sense: cardiologists, surgeons, nephrologists (kidney specialists), nurses and support staff all working in concert to give Devante a fighting chance.
Six weeks is a long time to be in a hospital, away from the comfort of home and the normalcy of daily life. But during that extended stay, something beautiful happened: Devante’s medical team became more than just his caregivers. They became his friends, his cheerleaders, his village.
Leah K. Hotchkiss, LCSW, a licensed clinical social worker with Norton Heart & Vascular Institute, made it her mission to see Devante not just as a patient, but as a person. She would visit his room regularly to play cards, watch their favorite sports team together or simply lift his spirits with his favorite drinks. Through those small moments of connection, she witnessed something remarkable: his quiet, unshakeable perseverance.
“Devante was always motivated,” Leah said. “Everyone runs into days they want to quit, and he had his fair share of those, but he never gave up.”Even on the hardest days, the ones filled with pain, uncertainty and exhaustion, Devante kept pushing forward.
Over those six weeks, his team worked tirelessly to ensure he wouldn’t just survive, but truly thrive once he recovered.They understood something crucial.
“The physical and emotional toll that comes with recovery can be hard on the patient and their loved ones, but Devante had a village to cheer him on,” Leah said.
But if there was one person who truly exemplified unwavering support, it was Mhadrja Hamilton, Devante’s girlfriend at the time. She became his anchor through the hardest moments, the person who showed up, day after day, whether in person or on the phone, offering a listening ear and steady presence when everything else felt uncertain.
All the while, Mhadrja was juggling her own responsibilities, working to keep the bills paid and their household running. She carried the weight of worry and practical concerns, yet never let Devante feel alone in his fight. Her love and dedication became the bedrock beneath him when everything else felt like it was crumbling away.
Devante noticed. He felt it deeply. And he made himself a promise: Once he recovered, he would make it up to her. He would show her just how much her love had meant, how it had quite literally helped keep him alive.
Fast forward to February 2025, a moment that represents so much more than just the passage of time. It represents resilience. Second chances. The triumph of love over adversity.
Devante proposed to Mhadrja, the woman who had stood beside him through the darkest chapter of his life. She had seen him at his most vulnerable, had witnessed his struggle and his strength and had chosen to stay. Now, he was choosing her, officially and forever, as his partner in the journey ahead.
But the blessings didn’t stop there. Just one month later, in March 2025, Devante and Mhadrja welcomed their first child into the world together. Their growing family now includes Devante’s son, Mhadrja and their newest addition, proof that hope, when nurtured, can grow into something extraordinary.
Devante’s story is certainly a testament to medical innovation and the incredible skill of the team at Norton Heart & Vascular Institute. The technology, expertise and coordinated care that saved his life are nothing short of remarkable. But strip away the clinical details, and what remains is something even more powerful.
Devante’s journey from that terrifying day of collapse to his proposal and the birth of his child isn’t just about surviving heart failure. It’s about discovering what makes life worth living: connection, determination and the people who refuse to let us face our battles alone.
Today, Devante is living proof that second chances are real, that bodies can heal and that the human spirit, when supported by love and expertise in health care, is capable of extraordinary things. His story reminds us all that even in our darkest moments, hope is never truly lost. Sometimes, it’s just waiting for us to fight our way back to it.