His wife, Heather Lannon, was faithfully at his side as two doctors prepared to take him off life support. The date was May 23.
As they prepared to turn off the myriad of machines, one of the doctors suggested playing some music — fitting given that Jamie was a musician, a drummer by nature.
Heather pulled Jamie’s phone out of her pocket and picked one of her husband’s playlists.
The Beatles’ joyful “Twist and Shout” blared from the speakers as Jamie’s heart slowed and ultimately stopped.
Heather said that although the song was upbeat, she wouldn’t have had it any other way.
“That’s what came on and we went with it,” she said.
Jamie loved the Beatles.
The last performance
“There was such an outpouring of support, I needed somewhere big enough to allow everybody to attend,” said Heather, now in St. John’s. “I hope he knows that this many people thought he was awesome.”
Instead of a funeral, Jamie’s family held a celebration of his life at Memorial University’s school of music recital hall.
It was a natural fit considering that Jamie had graced the stage many times as an undergraduate, having studied music at MUN.
Friends and family from across the province convened to remember Jamie’s vibrant spirit, and there was a performance by his band.
They, too, decided to play the Beatles in honour of their friend.
Related story
Newfoundland couple in limbo in Toronto awaiting word on a heart transplant
Heather said she’s received messages from across the world; Jamie’s story has resonated in Spain, Scotland, England and all over Canada.
During perhaps the most gripping moment of the celebration, those gathered learned that Jamie had written and recorded a song about their medical journey in Toronto. The music serenaded them, a chronicle of all that he and Heather had endured together.
“He performed at his final show,” said Heather.
They dubbed the evening, held on May 31st, “Jamie Wilkinson, the last performance.”
“He deserved so much more than just a funeral. Everybody has a funeral. Jamie Wilkinson deserved a hundred concert hall shows.”
Medical journey
Jamie was born with a congenital heart defect.
His condition, called transposition of the great arteries (TGA), had kept himself and Heather in Toronto since Oct. 5, 2014, unable to go home because of his condition.
Jamie waited years for a life-saving heart transplant, undergoing several operations to keep him alive until a heart could be found. In 2015, Jamie underwent surgery for an LVAD —a mechanical heart pump.
Finally, they got the call that they had hoped for: they had found a heart for Jamie.
Heather said doctors gave no indication there would be any complications.
“The doctors said that the heart that was coming was pristine,” she said.
The surgery was scheduled to take 12 hours but complications quickly arose. Doctors spent a gruelling 24 hours trying to save Jamie’s life while Heather waited to hear the news.
“Even at hour 14, I was still very hopeful,” Heather said. “I was waiting for them to come and say he was all right.”
Instead, doctors informed Heather they weren’t sure Jamie would make it off the operating table alive.
Somehow, Jamie made it to the intensive care unit — but at a cost.
A CT scan revealed that he had undergone several strokes during the operation, damaging his brain. And because of the sheer amount of drugs that were needed to keep him alive, he had doubled in size, cutting off his blood flow. If he were to live, doctors would have to amputate all of his limbs.
“I walked into the room and I thought I was in the wrong place,” said Heather. “That wasn’t Jamie in that bed.”
Thankful, Jamie had outlined his wishes before surgery.
Final wishes
“Jamie’s biggest worry was never that he was going to die. His biggest worry was if I was going to be OK,” said Heather.
Jamie had meticulously planned everything, including his will, power of attorney and his wishes if the worst should happen.
Jamie said he didn’t want to live without a certain quality of life, which allowed doctors to take him off life support and remove the burden of that terrible decision from Heather and family.
After he died, Jamie’s eyes were donated to give someone else the gift of sight.
Jamie’s original heart was donated for research, in order to try and prevent anyone else from going through the journey he and Heather had suffered together.
“It was a full circle moment,” said Heather, who plans on championing organ donation. “I have to do the job for the two of us now.”
Memories
Following the celebration of Jamie’s life, Heather has returned to the home that has been empty since they left Newfoundland.
There, the memories are alive.
In their house, Jamie had built a band room, a stage and a bar. Heather said the reality that Jamie will never again get to enjoy his space, and their life in Newfoundland, is devastating.
They had built a life together.
Heather and Jamie met in 2002, both then camp counsellors for the City of St. John’s. They were married in 2012.
“Jamie was hilarious. Even when he had his pump, he would still crack jokes,” said Heather. “He would always tell me he loved me from the bottom of his pump.”
She said others will remember Jamie for his kindness, his playfulness, and his charity.
The next steps
“I think I’m still a bit in shock,” said Heather. “The very thing we waited for led to his death. It’s cruel.”
Now, Heather is faced with what to do next.
She’s planning to speak at St. Michael’s Regional High School at some point, the school where Jamie shared his passion for music for over nine years, but the next few months are uncertain.
“I still haven’t figured out my day-to-day life.”
While in Toronto, she had applied and been accepted for the doctoral program in social science at Royal Roads University in British Columbia. However, in the midst of Jamie’s illness, she was unsure if she should go.
As always, Jamie was supportive.
“He told me I deserved it,” said Heather. “Now, I have to go.”
Although Jamie waited years for a heart transplant, there was never any doubt that Heather would always be by his side.
“He was my partner in every sense,” said Heather.
He had her heart from the beginning.
Twitter: @joshrjhealey
