CHARLOTTE, N.C. — You probably know him best as the energetic sports guy who’s part of Spectrum’s Chevrolet Sports Night.

But since 2017, Jason Brown has been battling congestive heart failure behind the scenes. 

What You Need To Know

  • In 2017 Jason Brown was diagnosed with congestive heart failure after fluid was found in his chest

  • Early this year, his condition worsened

  • On March 16, Brown received a heart transplant
  • He encourages everyone to consider becoming an organ donor to possibly save a life
  • If you would like to sign up to be an organ donor, you can find a link here

“The initial tests said the ejection fraction, in other words, how well your heart pumps blood, it's not where it needs to be,” Brown said. 

Early this year, Brown and his wife, Christy Phillips-Brown, say things worsened.

“That's where we had to have the conversation on basically three options,” Phillips-Brown said. “And that was a heart transplant, a mechanical heart that would typically last just for a couple of years, or hospice care.” 

As his heart continued to deteriorate, Brown was put on the transplant list. Phillips-Brown says doctors later told her they had to pass on 15 hearts that didn’t fit Jason’s criteria before the perfect one became available.

“He said, ‘We think we found a heart.’ I looked up at him and was just like, you’re kidding,” Brown said. “Because I expected that process to take a lot longer.”

It was a relief for the couple before they cleared the next hurdle, surgery. 

“I looked at my wife. I was like, I didn't know if I was going to see her again because you never know,” Brown said. “A surgery, especially something that major. But you just trust that you're going to wake up. And sure enough, I did.”

On March 16, Jason had a successful heart transplant surgery and was back on his feet days later.

Now, just a little over a month after his transplant, his journey of recovery continues at home.

He is adjusting to his new arsenal of medications, while building up his stamina. 

“There's rarely a day that's gone by that I haven't woken up grateful that I'm breathing in and that my feet can hit the floor,” Brown said.

He is working hard to get better, to continue to enjoy this next chapter.

“I just tell people, just don’t take for granted having a sweet tea in a mason jar, you know,” Brown said. “Don’t take things like that for granted.”

For Brown, the experience has been humbling.

“Thank you is not a big enough word. Grateful is the word,” Brown said. “I would always tell people I'm grateful for the outpouring.”

Brown says he feels lucky that his family's and friends' prayers were answered.

“Miracle is a word that you try and use sparingly,” Brown said. “But because of how quick everything happened, it really is no shortage of a miracle.”

He says it has left him with a new mission — to be a living testament of the importance of organ donation.

“It is, in a sense, a one last gift that you can give to your fellow man or woman. And that's the gift of life,” Brown said. “And I don't know if there's a better gift to give anyone, whether you know them or not.”

Most of all, Brown says he and his family are grateful for the sacrifice of his donor and their family.

“I think it's one of the things that can get lost. There are probably days I have to remind myself, hey, someone's still grieving or dealing with something while you're living,” Brown said. “I would just say to them, just, I hate that you have to go through this loss. But know that I'm going to try and make the most of the gift that he or she has given me.”

Brown says he is grateful to the medical staff at Atrium Health Sanger Heart and Vascular Institute, as well as everyone who has reached out to him with messages of support.

If you would like to sign up to be an organ donor, visit here.