Heavenly Father.

LONNIE SMITH IS KEEPING A VOW.

Let's bow our heads, Heavenly Father.

In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

HE LEADS A YOUTH MINISTRY AT A SMALL, BUT GROWING, CHURCH IN SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA.

God bless son.

You guys are the next generation.

IT'S THE FULFILLMENT OF A PROMISE HE MADE AS HE STRUGGLED WITH A HEART CONDITION THAT ALMOST CLAIMED HIS LIFE.

Being a man of faith, a man of god, I said 'Lord, if you let me survive this, I'm going to dedicate all my time into giving back to you. I made the promise I'm going to fight, so I did it.

HIS FIGHT BEGAN IN 1999 WHEN A THEN 24 YEAR OLD LONNIE SMITH CAME DOWN WITH WHAT HE THOUGHT WAS A BAD COLD. SO SEVERE THAT HE COULD HARDLY BREATHE.

At this point, I was rushed to the emergency room where they put me in a room ran a test and came back with the news that my heart was severely enlarged.

LONNIE WAS DIAGNOSED WITH CARDIOMYOPATHY, A PROGRESSIVE WEAKENING OF THE HEART.

When we first met, he was so confident, he had so much life in him, I had a hard time believing he was really sick (edit to clip 21 39:30) then I went to the doctor with him and I seen how severe it was. And I was like oh my gosh he's really really sick.

BY 2002, LONNIE'S ONLY HOPE FOR SURVIVAL WAS A TRANSPLANT. DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKERS FOLLOWED LONNIE'S JOURNEY AS HE WAITED FOR A TRANSPLANT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN FRANCISCO MEDICAL CENTER. THE ICU WAS HIS HOME FOR SEVERAL WEEKS.

When I'm sick, I can't play with him like I wanted. To. "Daddy, let's play, let's play.' I'd get out there and play I'm out of breath I'd have to say "Daddy can't play no more. So I was taking a lot from my kids, as a father, not saying I didn't want to be a father, but didn't have strength to be a father.

ON THANKSGIVING DAY, A DONOR HEART BECAME AVAILABLE, KEPT VIABLE AND WHEELED INTO THE OPERATING ROOM. IN A FEW HOURS LONNIE HAD A NEW HEART.
Whoa look at that baby work.

I feel 100 percent. I feel good. I got a new heart and I'm happy. brand new day. Brand new life. I waited a long time. I've had this disease for 4 years. I'm blessed.

I'm taking this new heart out for a test run.

FINALLY, SIX WEEKS AFTER THE TRANSPLANT, IT WAS TIME TO GO HOME, AND JUST IN TIME. 10 DAYS LATER, ABENA DELIVERED THEIR SECOND CHILD, JAYKWAN.

I thought that I wouldn't be there, but I got out just in time. Even though I felt like a car hit me, I was able to get up to go be at my wife's side, see my son born, cut the umbilical cord.

TODAY, THERE'S ANOTHER NEW BABY, TONY. LONNIE, THE MAN WHO COULD HARDLY PLAY WITH HIS KIDS, EASILY THROWS A BALL AROUND WITH HIS TWO OLDER SONS.

He teaches me how to catch, how to run, he teaches me a lot of things.

I fought the good fight and now I'm here. I overcame that. And then I have something to tell them when they get older. 'WOW, my dad did it. He never gave up ever, when it could have been his last days on earth.'

That's something I want to instill in them, to never give up, no matter what it is.