After two heart transplants, golfer Erik Compton is a walking inspiration

Erik Compton was trudging along the 17th hole on Sunday at Torrey Pines, the weather miserable, his score just as bad. But when he heard a shout from members of California’s organ-donating community, he managed to step back and put things in perspective.

“I was grinding and the weather was tough,” Compton said. “But just to see the smile that I brought to them was amazing.”

Compton, who will play the Waste Management Phoenix Open this week, is a walking inspiration on the PGA Tour, someone who warms hearts and raises spirits regardless of how much under par he shoots. His story is so good, he says, that when he tells it to people he sits next to on flights, he wonders if they actually believe him.

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He is 36 years old, he is a card-carrying member on golf’s elite tour and he is a two-time heart transplant recipient.

“I’ve gone most of my life,” he said, “with other people keeping me alive.”

Like that weren’t enough, the details are even better. Diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, a disease that hinders the heart’s ability to pump blood, Compton underwent his first transplant at age 12. He had his second at age 28 in 2008, about nine months after he survived a so-called “widow-maker” heart attack. As it was happening, he drove himself to the hospital, even calling his mom to tell her he was dying.

Compton spent Monday afternoon at an educational event at Banner -- University Medical Center Phoenix, and he headed up a youth clinic at TPC Scottsdale on Tuesday morning, all in the name of raising awareness for Donate Life.

While organ donation is nothing new, Compton still manages to shine a spotlight on a subject that sometimes tends to get overlooked.

“It’s not something people think about; people don’t necessarily want to think about the end of their life,” said Sara Pace Jones, a vice president for Donor Network of Arizona. “So when people are talking about a really positive story with somebody so inspiring as (Compton) is, I think it causes them to think of it in a positive light and it starts conversations which are so important so that people know what their loved ones think about donation.”

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Compton says it’s an “amazing” feeling when people tell him they’re considering becoming an organ donor after hearing his story.

“It’s amazing how many people are not educated on it,” Compton said. “I forget that.”

His story seems to get better and better. Last year, during a tournament in Ohio, Compton was having dinner in a local restaurant when the server mentioned to him that her nephew was a heart donor.

“I said, ‘Really?’” Compton said. “She said, ‘Yeah, it went to a golfer.’ I said, ‘What was his name?’ And she said his name. And I said, ‘I’m actually the one who received his heart.’ It was pretty unreal.”

Being on his third heart has its challenges. He has to pace himself more than his tour competitors, limiting workouts and practice time. He tries to eat healthy and avoid sweets. He makes sure he gets his rest.

But the aspects inherent to the golfing life can also serve as benefits. Being on his feet all day gives him the exercise he needs. Plus, the pressures of the PGA Tour can keep him from dwelling on things.

“I find that the stress of the tour has distracted me from the real issues that I have with my health,” Compton said. “That’s what I try to tell patients. You have to figure out a way to get your mind somewhere else other than sitting and listening to your heart or looking at your scars or whatever they have to deal with when it comes to transplant.”

But the transplant itself puts things in perspective. He’d love to play well, to win more tournaments. He’s a competitive person, he says, but he manages to see the positives even when he doesn’t play well.

“The grueling day with the rain (on Sunday) hitting me in the face -- sometimes I try to take those two seconds to realize how lucky I really am to experience terrible weather on the course,” Compton said. “I couldn’t really ask for anything more.”