A powerful true story of surviving seventeen years of heart failure — and waking up with a stranger’s heartbeat. Includes an editorial reflection from a Houston Methodist cardiologist. Some people get a second chance in theory. He woke up with one beating in his chest. At forty years old, W. Adam Greer walked into an emergency room expecting treatment for pneumonia. Instead, he was told he was dying. For the next seventeen years, heart failure defined his life — ICU rescues, defibrillators and borrowed time — until the call finally came. On July 4, 2022, one family’s world broke. By July 5, another family’s world was being rebuilt. After outliving every prognosis, Greer received the call that would define his second life: a donor heart was waiting. In July 5: The Day I Lived Twice , Greer recounts the journey from diagnosis to transplant through faith, fear and the fragile beauty of recovery. With raw honesty and reverent humor, he brings readers inside the ICU, the waiting rooms, the whispered prayers and the gratitude that now fuels every breath. More than a medical memoir, this is a story about grace in motion — how courage, clarity and compassion can coexist in the face of impossible odds. Each chapter reads like a heartbeat: rising, falling, steadying — until life itself feels new again. For anyone waiting for a transplant, living with heart failure, or trying to understand the miracle and weight of a donor’s gift — this story was written with you in mind. If you’ve ever wrestled with hope, questioned faith or wondered if miracles still happen, this story will stay with you long after the final page. Perfect for readers of: • Between Two Kingdoms — Suleika Jaouad • Proof of Heaven — Dr. Eben Alexander • Everything Happens for a Reason — Kate Bowler • When Breath Becomes Air — Paul Kalanithi Medicine often reveals itself not only on hospital floors or in operating rooms, but in decisive moments that become life-altering. This story is a powerful reminder of that truth. I did not perform Adam's heart transplant, nor did I oversee his surgical care. Our paths first crossed in an unexpected setting; though in hindsight, perhaps not unexpectedly at all. I believe it was God's way of bringing us together at the right moment. Through his professionalism, integrity and sincere commitment to serving others, he first became my trusted resource for garage door management. I still vividly remember the day we stood beside his truck in my driveway. When he learned that I am a cardiologist, he began sharing his medical journey up to that point. His care had been fragmented and intermittent, complicated by lack of insurance and limited access to consistent management. As he spoke, it became immediately clear that his situation required urgency, coordination and decisive action. We promptly initiated the necessary evaluations, arranged comprehensive testing and ensured he was connected without delay to the outstanding Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant team at Houston Methodist Hospital. From there, his journey moved forward with the expert care he deserved. Heart transplant is not just a procedure; it is a passage; a passage through uncertainty, vulnerability and profound hope. What this book captures so eloquently is not merely the medical complexity of transplant, but the deeply human experience behind it: the waiting, the fear, the faith, the resilience and ultimately the renewal. As physicians, we often see snapshots of a patient's journey. Rarely do we witness the full emotional landscape surrounding it. By sharing his story, Adam offers readers something invaluable; insight into what it truly means to face mortality and emerge with a genuine second chance. This book stands as a testament to the perseverance of modern medicine and, above all, to the extraordinary resilience of the human soul. Dr. Ahmed Soliman, MD Cardiologist "It is a rare thing that I read a book cover to cover in one sitting." — John S. "A deeply personal story about survival, gratitude, and the perspective that comes when life gives you a second chance." — Greer House Press On July 5, 2022, I woke up with a stranger's heartbeat. This book is not just about a transplant. It's about the seventeen years that led to that moment — the uncertainty, the waiting, the fragile hope and the responsibility that comes with being given time back. There is a tension in transplant that never leaves you. One family's loss becomes another family's second chance. I carry that awareness every day. I wrote this book slowly and honestly. Not to dramatize survival, but to honor it. Not to center myself, but to acknowledge the extraordinary gift that made this life possible. If you are facing illness, walking beside someone who is, or simply wondering what to do with the time you've been given — I hope this story reminds you that life is not just something to endure. It is something to steward. Thank you for reading it. — W. Adam Greer On July