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Sept. 21 was already an indelible day for Travis Mills.
It was the birthday of his mother, who passed away in 2018.
While it’ll always be connected with her memory, it’s now an even more important day to Mills.
He had a heart transplant performed last year on Sept. 21. With the Alaska Heart Run shifting to the fall starting this year, that means this Saturday’s run will land on the first anniversary of Mills receiving a new heart.
“It’s amazing to think about,” he said. “The 21st of September has a whole new meaning now.”
He first started feeling shortness of breath in 2016. Mills, 39, who is retired military, was in Georgia when he first experienced symptoms. He and his wife took jobs in Alaska in 2017 and eventually he sought treatment at the Alaska Heart & Vascular Institute.
“The only thing that doctors can come up with is that I had some type of a virus or infection and it targeted my heart, and over time, wore it down,” he said.
He was eventually diagnosed with an enlarged heart that was having problems pumping blood. He lost around 150 pounds in an effort to both improve his cardiovascular health and avoid a potential surgery.
The weight loss helped, but still didn’t improve his heart deterioration so he was recommended for a transplant in 2022. Veterans Affairs benefits allowed for the surgery to be totally covered, but the closest available VA transplant centers were in California and Utah. Mills didn’t know anyone in either of those places, so he chose Duke Medical Center in North Carolina, where he had nearby relatives.
Mills now works as a counselor at Lake Hood Elementary and relocated to North Carolina after the school year in 2023. He was admitted into the hospital on Sept. 15 after his condition worsened. He was prepped for a transplant in case a heart came available but improved enough to the point where he was lobbying for his release.
But then his doctors received the call that there was an available heart. The surgery went well and after some rehab Mills returned to Anchorage later in January and returned to the school a month later.
“It’s been great,” he said. “I worked the rest of the school year and did cardiac rehab.”
Mills also launched a nonprofit called Intentional Solutions Group he hopes can help people in a similar circumstance.
“When I came out of surgery, when I woke up, from that moment on it was like, ‘new heart, what can I do for other people?’ ” he said. “I’ve always been a servant leader. I’m a pastor outside of school, but it was a passion to do more.”
He has shared his story with students at his school as part of the American Heart Association’s Kids Heart Challenge, with the money going toward the nonprofit. Mills said the students have a fundraising goal of $1,500 and are making good progress toward that total.
“The American Heart Association came and did a kickoff for the Heart Challenge and were teaching the kids about heart health and cardiovascular health and eating healthy,” he said. “Part of that presentation was they had a few pictures of me in the hospital. They just told the kids I had a special heart.”
Mills participated in previous Heart Runs and this year will be joined by his wife and a few members from his church.
The 2024 Alaska Heart Run has traditionally been held in the spring but shifted to the fall this year.
“With the health and safety of our participants a top priority, our team decided to move the Alaska Heart Run & Walk to September following weather delays and logistics changes over the years,” said American Heart Associations communications director Lily Gordon.
The run is Saturday at Alaska Airlines Center. Check-in starts at 7:30 a.m. with opening ceremonies starting at 9 a.m. The 5K timed run is at 9:30 a.m. the 5K untimed runs starts at 9:45 a.m. and the walk begins at 10 a.m. There is no registration fee but participants are encouraged to fundraise. Donations to a team or to the American Heart Association are also welcomed.