Port Edwards, Wis. (WSAW) - A man in Port Edwards is awaiting a life or death heart transplant. The only reason he's even able to wait for one, is because of GLP-1 medication. Doctors said if he wanted a heart transplant, he needed to go from about 420 pounds, to 220. That's exactly what he's been doing.
Long before 40-year-old Derek Honig even considered weight loss injections, he was on top of the world. He was living in Chicago, and working security for music venues. Then he got a phone call that changed his life.
"It was the end of the world. I was this big, young, strong kid. I probably weighed 300 pounds. Just had my son. And then I was told the world was ripped from under me. I can't work ever again," said Derek. He was diagnosed with stage five heart failure and stage three kidney failure. "Basically you're gonna die if you don't get a heart. You're progressively going to get sicker and there's nothing you can do about it."
In the years that followed, he gained over 100 pounds, and started using an LVAD and Pacemaker. Doctors told him that would only work for 5 years. It's been 10.
"My doctor was like, 'hey, I got this idea. If your heart team says cool, let's do it. You need to get a heart transplant. Like, now'. So I said, 'what the hell? I gotta be a dad. Let's do it.'"
Last August, Derek weighed 420 pounds. His doctor prescribed him Mounjaro. Because one thing he needs to achieve to qualify for a heart transplant, is maintaining a weight of 220.
"I can go a day, two days even without eating. Not feeling hungry, not having any nausea, not having loss of energy. It's weird," said Derek. He's on weekly injections of 12.5 milligrams of Mounjaro, which is one of the higher doses available.
He's noticed some gas pains but says he's felt the best he has in 20 years. He lost the 200 pounds, stopped using a cart to get around, and can do more with his family, including 11-year-old Brody Honig.
"I like to do four wheeling, playing baseball and rough housing a lot with him. It's been really fun and I'm proud of him." said Brody.
"My son is, he's my number one. He's the only reason I'm here. I mean, I don't care about anything. Anything but him. I make sure I play with him. He pushes me."
"He's doing good and I'm excited for him to get a new heart," Brody said.
"Gotta keep fighting, you know, you just gotta keep going. I know I'm getting that heart. It's a matter of time."
Derek Honig has some health habits to change and needs to maintain a weight of 220 before he can qualify for a heart transplant.
A doctor from U.W. Madison says patients who lose eighty to ninety pounds from GLP-1 medications are considered rare. Based on clinical trials, patients who lose thirty to fifty pounds are considered best outcomes.
It's also important to note ten to twenty percent of people might not notice any weight loss on these medications. There's a wide range of results.