WBAP’s Hal Jay Needs Heart Transplant
• Sending positive thoughts to Hal Jay, longtime morning host on Cumulus News-Talk WBAP/Dallas, who broke the news to his listeners on Monday that he is in need of a heart transplant.
Jay, a fixture on DFW morning radio for more than 40 years, called into his colleagues Ernie Brown and Brad Barton, and explained his dire medical situation, saying, “Last Tuesday night, I had a ventricular tachycardia event and fell to the floor, and my cardiologist, Dr. Shaw, had me transferred to Baylor Scott & White University Medical Center.”
According to Johns Hopkins, ventricular tachycardia is a type of abnormal heart rhythm that occurs when the lower chamber of the heart beats too fast to pump well, and the body doesn’t receive enough oxygenated blood.
After spending the week at the facility, Jay continued to undergo testing as doctors monitored the situation. But on Saturday night, he suffered another ventricular tachycardia event. Jay said, “I asked the doctor, ‘How sick am I?’ And he said, ‘You are really sick; your heart is done.'”
Since the incident, Jay has now been placed on the heart transplant waiting list. Of the four levels of the list, pending severity, Jay is listed as a Level Two. It’s unknown when a proper match will be available. Jay finished the conversation by thanking listeners for their prayers, mentioning he intends to document his transplant journey and check in with the WBAP Morning News as he is able. More information and audio from the conversation is posted on wbap.com.
