Hal "Jay" Harbuck, Radio Host, WBAP
Hal “Jay” Harbuck
Hal Harbuck, AKA Hal Jay, longtime radio host on WBAP, joins Fortitude. We talk about his brand new heart, talking to God, organ donation, his early radio years with Elvis, flying with Ronnie Milsap, his career on the radio, his laugh, and of course, the beloved Josh. We love us some Hal.
Episode Transcription:
0:00
roxo media house
0:06
welcome back to fortitude JW Brinton today on the show we got a we got a
0:11
legend Brinton the guy sitting between the two of us man that needs little introduction we’ll do it anyway Mr Hal
0:19
harbuck welcome to the show what’s the J stand do we call you Dr J on the show here what do we call you here well thanks
Who is Hal Harbuck
0:25
jdub uh no I tell you um Hal Jay is a semi-real name of course
0:31
the real name is Hal hardbuck but when I got to radio in 1980s 60s yeah I’m gonna say 1969
0:40
up in Liberal Kansas uh I moved up there during my high school years to live with my father
0:48
and he was the manager of a radio station Plus in those little towns the manager also has a radio show and uh he was on
0:55
the air one day and it did his part and one of the disc jockeys didn’t show up
1:00
he says you gotta you gotta do this yep I said I don’t know how to do this he goes I’ll show you just spin records and
1:07
give the time and uh you know things like that I said okay well the next day that this junkie didn’t show up so this
1:13
led to okay some part-time stuff and then it got to the point where I was doing it all the time
1:19
and uh I kind of fell in love with it and if I knew uh and when I knew I was going to want
1:25
to do this I moved back down from Liberal Kansas back to my hometown of Fort Worth
1:31
and uh try to get in a Major Market and and that happened and then we went uh Ann and I went to
1:37
Memphis we got married and went to Memphis and and then back to uh Fort Worth but the J is like a DJ I got a
Hal Jay
1:44
sidetracked so the J my name is Hal Harbaugh Jr and it messed up people with
1:50
two Hal hard books on the radio right he said your name is Hal Jay now the J stood for junior so that’s how it kind
1:55
of got to know and you came honestly your father was a disc jockey as well yes yes he was a he was a Salesman disc
2:02
jockey uh in those little towns of 16 000 people you kind of do everything
2:07
what records were you spending on that first oh that was back in the days of uh country oh yeah yeah yeah all country
2:15
All Pure Pure Country not like it is today no no and I’m not cutting down
2:20
today’s country but just it’s completely different like that west coast country like um yeah I’m trying to think those guys
2:27
well why you’re thinking let me set the table real quick right so if for those of you who don’t follow along with what
2:33
Mr harbuck is telling us he’s a long time radio uh host of on the station wbap for decades or 42 years 42 years
2:42
and before that you mentioned Liberal Kansas those that don’t know who he is probably don’t know much of anything
2:47
likely he’s been around he’s a he’s a hell of a guy he’s a friend and you love you know a lot of things for a lot of
2:53
things for other people which we’re grateful for well you’re very capable we’re going to get into your radio here in a little bit but before we do that
2:58
something major has happened in your life we’d like to talk about that I think you can agree with that but you
3:04
are almost a two-month recipient of a brand new heart
3:09
um April the 4th will be the two months uh date of receiving the heart
3:15
and here I am sitting with you I got cleared to drive last Saturday
3:21
and I hadn’t driven since October just so you’ll know that’s another story but uh so I got cleared to drive
3:27
and I and both Ann and Carter are they both you’re going too fast you’re going
3:32
too fast take it easy and you know the doctors told me the surgeons and and
3:37
everybody at Baylor Scott and White said you’ll know when your heart tells you to slow down and your body tells you and uh
Heart Failure
3:44
and it does you know but I make myself get up and uh and try to and do almost
3:51
everything I can myself because I’ll tell you Jada Ann was the caregiver oh she’s been
3:57
through she’s been through a lot more hell than I yes sir oh my gosh well Hal let’s start let’s start like this let’s tell
4:04
the story so people can understand but you were you you suffer from congestive heart failure for a while right a long
4:09
time back 17 years ago I had a heart attack okay did your dad have heart issues or did anybody
4:16
my cardiologist says well congratulations you’re the first with heart disease yeah uh but that’s this
4:23
was 17 years ago I was at a Possum Kingdom and my daughter-in-law and I just got
4:28
through writing big Mabel that’s really strange to say isn’t it
4:34
was it a horse no big mail’s a float oh yeah a little behind the boat oh yeah
4:40
Henry and I just got through writing that and I was walking back to the house and I felt this pain
4:45
and I thought oh no not now and sure enough well Josh and Josh was out there he got me in the car and we met an
4:51
ambulance coming from Mineral Wells on Highway 80. and we pulled over I got in the
4:58
ambulance we went into mineral wells into Pinto General Hospital
5:04
and Dr John Jones and his staff met me there got out got into the emergency room
5:10
and the questions began he says your name please I said Hal harbuck he goes
5:17
do you know where you are I said yes I’m in Mineral Wells he goes are you in any pain no I’m not at all
5:22
um do you know what happened to you I said well I believe I’ve had a heart attack
5:28
he goes yes yes he goes now then uh uh do you eat healthy I said nah he goes do
Heart Attack
5:34
you uh do you smoke I said no sir I said have you ever smoked I said oh
5:40
yes he goes when did you quit I said about 30 minutes ago
5:45
and everybody in the emergency room started laughing I said hey hey come on we’re back here here we go and so that
5:52
was the beginning of it and uh careflighted to uh Plaza Medical Center in Fort Worth
5:58
where I met three doctors that saved my life Dr Syed Shaw Dr Lon Walder and Dr
6:04
Todd Gray and those three men got uh together and uh and saved my life
6:12
Dr Shaw put a couple of stints in me and uh or Dr Walter did and that’s
6:21
that’s the history of it and and then move forward many years many years uh actually last October
6:29
last October I had what they call a vtac familiar with them yes sir
6:34
what’s that for tachycardia ventricular tachycardia and you know some people say it’s a
6:41
heart attack some don’t it’s it’s highly related but I do believe it’s worse than
6:47
a heart attack a ventricular tachycardia it affected the right side of my heart I
6:53
had one beginning of October and then I had another one in January
6:59
and then two at the hospital in the ICU at Baylor Scott and White well when you have the my heart was basically dead
7:06
and uh from the damage before from the 17 years ago well that’s that’s really interesting because
7:13
my uh cardiologist Dr Shaw uh and Fort Worth said
7:20
you know some someday you’re gonna probably have to have a heart transplant passage yeah right well then
7:26
I didn’t believe it everybody else knew this was coming and Carter uh Dr Shaw Dr
7:33
Shelly Hall who is a head of the Baylor transplant team at Baylor Scott and
7:38
White Dallas phenomenal it’s phenomenal they all knew it was coming because I’ve been a
7:43
patient of hers he sent me over there six years ago to get in persist get on the list you
7:50
know not on the list yep but to get in their system so it wouldn’t be a new patient boy that’s great Insight isn’t
7:57
it and then it happened uh Ann and the family got back from the national championship game Tuesday night
8:03
at seven o’clock and they all walked in the house and hugging and kissing how was it did you
8:09
have fun at 7 15 I told Anna said I’m going to bed I got to get up at 3 30 the
8:15
next morning you know and uh I turned around said you know I don’t really feel good and I hit the ground
8:21
bam I was out and our doctor Dr Amber Leslie lives
8:27
across the street from us her and her husband Nathan who’s a also a doctor came running over
8:33
she couldn’t find a pulse and went on and on and on finally
8:38
I came back too like nothing had happened I was sitting one what’s going on
8:44
and she said well you’ve you you hit the ground passed out
8:49
I said I’m good now I’m going to bed no no no no no no no going to the hospital went to Harris Dr Shaw
8:57
found out and this is why Dr Shaw saved my life he knew that he had done as much as he
9:03
could he said you’re going to Baylor Scott and White tonight and I had a transport
9:10
at 11 o’clock at night to get me to Baylor Scott and White and I was there for
9:16
I guess 33 days most of it 30 of it probably even ICU
Transplant
9:22
do you remember every day uh yes but they got you kind of on stuff
9:28
to make well sure yeah they do uh um
9:33
but I I can remember most everything except for when I came out of the surgery of the of the transplant yeah
9:40
well let’s talk before we get into that tell us about the phone call because I’ve seen the Deborah Ferguson interview
9:45
love Deborah Ferguson I think she’s I know she’s a colleague and a lovely lady but that that was touching so please
9:51
share that during this process when you make the list when you make the
9:57
list there’s a couple of us first of all there’s a list that they consider you to be a a transplant can then there’s the
10:06
next one where you are a transplant candidate you make the list to be on the list
10:11
got this uh they they told me they said no matter where you go or what you do
10:17
always have your phone with you because you’ll receive a call and get watch act as a phone
10:24
yeah I can use this yeah but I always kept my cell phone with me
10:30
I said uh okay that’s good well I’m laying there in uh
10:35
the ICU room at Baylor and and the phone
10:41
um the phone ring and um
10:47
the young lady said Mr harbuck this is the Baylor Scott and White transplant team
10:53
and this is the call that’s all she said
10:59
this is the call wow as you’re there in the hot I mean it’s
The call
11:06
I’m in the hospital what’s the diagnosis if you don’t get the call just wait for more days are you wait I almost expected
11:12
to wait six weeks to three months in that hospital and without without it though Hal that there was the prognosis
11:19
was Grim it was Grim because that was not what they call an impeller which I don’t know works all the time and I
11:25
think it’s Ann said it’s it’s not as permanent thing to keep you alive the impeller kept my right side of my heart
11:31
beating you know they got those in outboard motors impellas impeller because I said the same thing oh you did
11:39
I said the same thing I said I’ve got one of these in my boat yeah it sucks the water in right yeah I hope it’s a
11:45
lot smaller it’s the same thing they dropped the R1 yeah make it sound more important but that’s so true so I got
11:52
the call and did I called and I said you’re not gonna believe this I’ve got a heart and she started screaming and crying and
11:58
uh she was in fact she was in Target shopping for me for stuff uh uh uh a
12:05
fire stick to plug into the TVs at the hospital so uh got the heart and this was after
12:14
10 days not three six weeks or six three months I got lucky because there’s different
12:21
levels of transplants at least for heart there’s one through seven if you’re on
12:27
level one you’re really really bad sick I mean it’s dangerous seven yeah you
12:34
know I don’t I don’t know uh but they got the impeller in me and then they moved me back down to a level
12:41
four well at level four you can go home and in fact the day I had my that final
12:48
VTEC um that day I had another uh that’s when I
VTAC
12:54
had the vtac that’s the day I was going home Junior 24th no this was
13:00
I guess maybe so when what was that day uh yeah I’m gonna you’re close
13:08
and after that happened they moved me to level two
13:13
high up on level two that’s not Baylor’s level it’s a level that’s shared by transplant hospitals
13:21
all over the nation you know so you just don’t you know you just don’t uh
13:27
go in there and bump somebody out you know because I would never want to do
13:33
that right under any circumstance but so I made level two which is high priority in fact if you’re one or two or three
13:40
you can’t leave the hospital they won’t let you leave the hospital or ICU I think the v-tac bumped you up
13:48
to level two from that level yeah yeah especially since it happened in front of them that was a strange strange
13:56
strange day because at that point I was holding hands hand
14:01
and looking at her in the face we’re about this far apart I said I love you but I’m not going to make it
14:08
I said I know I’m gonna die right here she says no you’re not I said
14:14
I said I can I can feel it and it’s strange looking at death like
14:20
that and uh uh all of a sudden you know I got
14:25
shocked and and everything got back to normal somewhat nothing went back to normal
14:31
still didn’t but it will be uh got back to somewhat normal
14:36
and uh but I remember you know I remember
14:43
that day I’ll never forget it because I wrote you know and the thing about it is I was scared
14:51
but I wasn’t afraid and to clarify that everybody’s scared to die nobody
14:57
but I’m not going to preach but with God in
Not Afraid
15:03
your hearts and soul I knew that if I died
15:08
I’d be with Josh and yeah we’ll talk about Josh later you said yes sir I’ll be with Josh our son
15:15
so as I’m sitting there thinking I’m dying the reason I wasn’t afraid is because I
15:21
win both ways if I win you know one way I went I get to stay with Ann and watch
15:28
the grandkids grow up if I die I still win because I get to go be with God and Josh
15:34
it was win-win for me yeah and that’s why I wasn’t afraid I wasn’t wasn’t afraid to talk about it
15:39
and uh of course upset and and the family they were
15:45
well they were Troopers I got to tell you do you I’m sorry to interrupt no do you think that you know you talked about
15:52
getting the call you were by yourself in the room like that you think there’s significance in that that at that time
15:58
your wife that I just for some reason that hit me like maybe there was an
16:04
impact there that you were alone like it was a call it was that was kind of maybe on the Divine side like and and and
16:11
maybe that helped reconcile that or create that you say the Divine side there are so many things I can think
16:17
back on now the four V tax what if I’d have been driving with my grandkids
16:23
yep didn’t happen you know uh what if 17 years ago you’ve been on the raft when that happened it
16:31
didn’t happen happened inside it got I got inside got to the hospital and there’s so many I think Divine
16:37
happenings that if I’m there in that hospital room by myself and I got the
16:42
call that’s a really great point might have been two calls combined you know yeah
16:49
yeah that’s really a good point good good yeah so they found your heart you’re going into surgery you just
16:57
relate how you’re you’re not scared but you we went either way and I’ll that’s phenomenal way to look at things you
17:03
wake up Hal and it’s done it’s done what does it feel I know you’re you have to
17:08
get through the the grogginess and back to back to Lucidity but what does it feel like well now that you have this
17:14
new heart inside of you you know when you first wake up uh after the surgery and the surgery took place at one
17:20
o’clock in the morning Dr Raphael was the surgeon one o’clock in the morning I was back in the room at
17:26
5 30. and he called and to say hey things went great and everything he said I can’t
17:31
talk right now I have to go do another one oh gosh yeah you know I mean who do you
The Donor Family
17:37
call hearts are us and I ship one more over yeah and that’s another thing the donor family you immediately think about
17:43
the donor family and the pain they’re going through so I can live yes sir you
17:48
know but uh immediately anything about them not yet will you at some point I’m going to try the hospital said give it
17:55
you know six months or so and uh but you know the name of the person it came from I don’t know
18:00
anything about it yeah and they and they won’t tell you when they do the heart do they they stick that thing in they like
18:06
sew all the pipes all the I mean I guess so you know I guess so I had a
18:11
defibrillator I’m just thinking of a punch earlier in the week and I was just
18:16
thinking how they clamped that thing together push the gears and put oil and yeah you know they do all that okay so
18:24
waking up sorry okay yeah waking up uh I remember briefly
18:31
and it was the most miserable thing by the way the most miserable thing in the world I hope it never happens to anybody
18:36
in this room is to have a ventilator stuck down your throat
18:42
the best one of the best days of my life is when they pulled that thing out yes sir and one of the worst days of my life is
18:49
when they pulled out the uh uh the catheter um
18:59
so anyway it’s a truth so anyway I remember waking up
19:05
and I looked up I looked up thank God
19:13
thank you so much and then my
19:19
my attention immediately went to Josh
19:25
this is all me talking to you I said I made it so you’re gonna have to wait a few more years
19:32
and it was almost like I could hear him and see saying that’s great that’s great
19:38
it’s a weird feeling of what you go through
19:44
it was there was no near-death experiences Ed ndes for me or I didn’t see a white light um
19:52
but I could feel the presence yeah I could feel the presence of God
19:57
and uh it’s a very very difficult thing to
20:03
describe as I told you before yeah I said you don’t want to say tell somebody well I wish you could experience this
20:08
you know you do you don’t want to say that uh but it’s an experience I’ll never I’ll
20:15
live by every day every day now that you’re back amongst the The Walking in
20:21
the driving you said yeah what do you feel like as opposed to how you used to feel can you describe what it’s is it
20:27
like a fresh battery a new birth a rebirth rebirth it feels like a rebirth
20:33
a second chance you know and uh I’ll never
20:38
I’ll never not exercise again go to cardiac rehab three times a week and it’s amazing it can be a little rough
20:45
especially that first week I went you do all this exercising and you you
20:50
won’t be you’ll be surprised how much muscle loss you have accumulate 31 days
20:55
in the hospital right right for 33 days just laying there uh but uh do we ever do we ever think
Smoking
21:03
about smoking sometimes on the days when it’s it smells really good you know and
21:08
the humidity is just right when that person’s smoking and or or is it like I can’t go there I can’t in fact uh at the
21:16
hospital uh one day I was waiting for Anne to come back around and pick me up we were leaving the hospital there’s a guy outside smoking
21:22
and smoking in a hospital oh yeah yeah it’s a kind of a weird thing I went outside and he was a patient went
21:28
outside to smoke and I got to think I got to thinking uh
21:35
you know that never used to bother me because I was a smoker at one time and uh
21:41
and then sitting there on that bench outside the hospital waiting for Anne I thought I’m gonna have to ask him to
21:47
move or maybe I should move you know but by the time I thought that through he’d got hit moved yeah but uh
21:54
yeah it’s amazing it’s amazing and I’m not going to sit here and lie to everybody and and say
21:59
yeah you know I did my exercising and blah blah this and that I know I didn’t um
22:05
yes sir I didn’t eating burgers and fries oh it’s only five nights this week
22:11
exactly you know oh that’s right Burgers and Fries and cherry pies and yeah chicken fried steaks and then go home
22:18
and sit on the couch that’ll never happen again my blood sugar this morning was 118.
22:24
is that good I don’t know that’s great that’s great 118. and uh
22:30
you know it’ll Spike up to well two or three days ago it spiked up to three something which is immediate so
22:37
I ate something wrong um uh not necessarily sugar but the carbs
22:42
the carbs I do everything sugar-free that I can but I gotta watch the carbs you know uh so I knew I did something
22:49
wrong but I’m fighting to get that back down and um energy level oh yeah better than before
22:56
yeah my energy level is good compared to what I’ve been through right you know I I drive myself now
23:02
um I broadcast from home to the next week I’m gonna walk up the stairs three weeks ago
23:08
three weeks ago probably four weeks my grandson had to help me put on my shoes really my ankles would that big around
23:15
swollen with ademia or fluids if you want to call it that
23:21
um but to this day to this day even though the shoes slip on now and everything the swelling’s
23:28
gone it’s still hard to bend over and tie them because you’ve bent over and you know and you’re choking everything
23:34
off for a moment but that’s gets better every day too so it’s it’s all a matter of step-by-step
23:41
process probably take a year how much um how much insulin you can take JW
23:53
yeah and see I I may get to quit it that’s what you said so yeah everything
23:59
yeah what do they do the in it’s all to just keep that blood sugar level what happens to your heart when your
24:05
blood sugar is upper it goes Super beats or I don’t know this is a different animal for me so you know what I think I
24:12
have to answer that by saying it’s different for JW and just different from being yeah uh I work with some people
24:18
whose daughter has a a guy whose daughter has it and she may be different although they’re trying to get mine down
24:24
around my normal was around one point which is
24:29
kind of borderline type two you know and some doctors would say no that is dark too if they want it 100 or below
24:37
I don’t know if he’ll ever get there or not I just want it back down to where you know I don’t have to take the insulin or whatever yeah my doctor in
24:44
Dallas Dr Hall said yeah you may be on this for quite a while which is uh just fine with me do you understand a
24:50
Whataburger bag in your hand when you walked in is there anything yeah okay so you know I’ll tell you something funny though
24:56
when you’re watching carbs and sugars you look up all these you read labels on things you buy and you if you’re going
Whataburger
25:03
to go to Whataburger we looked up a Whataburger of uh
25:08
uh a double meat with cheese no lettuce or tomatoes because I can’t have that because they have to be washed
25:16
well and you don’t know if they’re just sitting out really why what’s the deal with because just any kind of infection
25:21
you’re you’re done for exactly yeah yeah there’s the immune autoimmune system is shot
25:26
but uh so I looked it up and uh the Whataburger
25:32
just the single was like uh 40 carbs I can have 60 per meal okay lunch uh
25:40
breakfast lunch and dinner I can have 60. so I told Dan I said if that’s only 45 or
25:46
46 carbs and meat and cheese have no carbs you can eat a triple meat which you know
25:52
I’m not talking about calories or buns right
25:57
yeah the bun is what has the carb yeah and I can eat bread I had a grilled
26:03
cheese sandwich before I came over here you know which had 25 or 30 I don’t I don’t know yeah but I’m allowed 60 per
26:09
meal and uh it’s it’s quite amazing what you can eat right well you’ve you’ve lived
26:15
it your whole life uh if you just watch it and when you Splurge I think that’s what I did I
26:22
splurged on something I know what it was a piece of cheesecake Deborah and Steve took us to dinner now
26:28
there you go I appreciate it could you feel it immediately no the next day I did
26:34
I think because my body’s just not used to it and all those meds I think 15 16 medications a day yeah well not to
26:42
digress too much let’s uh can you tell us I don’t want to ruin the mood here right uh you mentioned talk about organ
26:48
donations you know enough about that now you could share a little bit about like how hard is it for a person to get a
26:54
heart like someone in your situation is it is it always going to get solved or there are people that don’t ever get
Organ Donation
27:00
that because they’re not available there’s people that don’t ever get it because they’re not available and time runs out on them and it just happens
27:06
that’s why organ donation is so important it’s so important and you know 10 years ago 15 20 years I wish I’d have
27:13
known this uh I’ve always been an organ donor you know and the rest of the family is
27:19
but you know that organ donor you check it going okay well I’ll be glad to do that no big deal well when it hits home
27:27
you realize how important organ donation is you know and at the same time one of the
27:33
first thing I thought about when I got my heart was the pain the family that donated the organ was going through
27:39
so it’s a two-way street uh but if I could urge people to to sign
27:46
up and be an organ donor and uh I understand that if you don’t it’s
27:52
because you want your loved one all together and you want to and I understand that uh without a doubt uh
27:59
let the organ donation is is so important yes sir how old was that heart like how I have no idea yeah you
28:07
probably people just bring it home they’re definitely going to take notice you can’t help but notice how I mean
28:13
this it’s meaningful that people they understand more now than they ever did before well I hope so because I was dumb
28:20
to the fact you know oh organ donor oh that’s the right thing to do I’ll check that yeah yeah but you don’t think about
28:25
it you ever go through the day and go I don’t know if this is the right heart for me it’s never happened my lungs are
28:31
completely clear I can breathe they took the defibrillator uh out of my chest I
28:36
don’t have it anymore if I want to climb a mountain I can go up about you know I couldn’t go
28:41
above 7 500 feet before uh there’s a lot of things I can do my lungs and it’s strange when they get you
28:48
ready for transplant it’s all about numbers numbers have to be right
28:54
uh it’s it’s not about your mood or what you look it’s these numbers as they
28:59
compare they have to be perfect and so uh they were going three minutes
29:05
and they did a biopsy on uh my lungs and they scraped out they they emptied
29:11
out so much fluid and so much mucus is is maybe the word almost Jello
29:18
I was drowning that’s what I was doing I was drowning and uh it came to the point where the
29:24
right side of the heart just quit and uh so the organ donation part is uh gee is
29:31
it is it important I just can’t stress enough well if you
29:37
think about how many folks they go through the surgery they get it and then it’s like it just didn’t take you know
29:44
you know I mean like think about the coming out of it I mean that’s the remarkable thing is you never know
29:49
because they tell you that they tell you listen the heart’s on the way but there’s many things that can happen
29:55
we could take it out of the uh the freezer or whatever they said they did I can’t remember what it’s called like a
30:03
bot like it’s a cooler I used to use Igloo cooler yeah uh and they still do
30:08
but maybe they’re Yeti now yeah uh but it’s it’s funny uh they test
30:16
everything and they got my lungs cleared out they they test you your liver and kidneys and
30:22
everything one of the doctors at the hospital said other than your heart you’re one of the healthiest people we’ve ever seen
30:28
no cancers no blockages no nothing like that it was such a relief to hear that yeah and the thing about a heart
30:35
transplant is or maybe even liver or lung or whatever the transplant may be you got to be sick
30:42
enough to need it but well enough to get it you know surely it’s really a it’s a
30:48
catch-22 type well thank you for sharing that story that’s on everybody’s mind and you know we’re all grateful you’re
30:53
sitting here before us and it’s great that’s why we got you here and you’re you’re a notorious Storyteller we’ve
30:59
listened to you on the air for so long but take us back to your background a little bit and we’ll get in touch and
Elvis Story
31:05
we’ll finish up with talking about Josh here in a second okay good good you’re from Liberal Kansas no I’m four or four
31:10
but you started that’s correct you moved on to Memphis that’s where you arrived in Fort Worth and I lived in Memphis for
31:16
seven years you I know this you’ve told me this but I love you to share it with us uh you you got a little bit acquainted with a guy named Elvis
31:22
Presley back in the day or at least indirectly but yeah tell us about the
31:27
the car and then one night I know this story if one of your colleagues might have divulged but you got a phone call
31:33
one night about uh I love you to share that story as well okay those two stores
31:38
those two stories one night we were laying in bed it’s about two o’clock in the morning and then the phone rang and
31:43
there was a friend of mine named Bill Browder he changed his name to TG Shepard and so TG Shepard he goes what
31:50
are you doing I said I’m checking for cracks in my eyelids what do you mean he said we’re asleep he goes what are you
31:55
doing he goes we’re over here Grayson Elvis wants to know if you guys want to come over and sing some songs and stuff
32:01
I went I went well I’ve got to get be on the air here at 5am
32:07
I said I’m going to pass this time call us next time y’all get together and do that and uh I’ll be glad we’ll be glad to
32:14
come over and hung up the phone Hanson who was that I said STG what’d he want I said well they’re over Graceland wanting
32:19
having a little party want to know if we want to come over and see music she jumped up out of bed and was rolling
32:26
here before I could say before I say we’re not coming yeah and she she was mad at me for two weeks good God she was
32:33
bad but uh did you go over did you think you go over no no we didn’t go we didn’t
32:39
go but I did go one time when Elvis was sick the radio station worked for we had a we
32:46
had a promotion a big promotion but like may have been an eight foot by 10 foot get well card that would go out on
32:52
broadcast and people would come by and sign get well Elvis so we had it all done and everything and
32:59
this friend of mine he’s dead now his name is less a creek and Les and I went over to Graceland and uh uh Vestal
Vernon Presley
33:06
Presley his uncle was The Keeper of the gate he was the guy he goes yeah we’ve been expecting you’ve been expecting you
33:11
pulled into the back behind Graceland and Vernon his dad came out
33:17
and said uh you go I’m sorry Elvis can’t come down he’s in bed he’s still he’s still sick I said well it’s okay we just
33:24
wanted to deliver this and uh no make sure he knows how much people love him here in Memphis he was this is fantastic
33:30
he’ll love this well Vernon went back inside for a minute and while
33:36
while he was inside Elvis’s mother’s Cadillac was there sitting out there underneath the
33:42
you know uh uh you guys are just out there smoking just
33:48
shoes what do we do now while we wait and I looked at it man that thing was caked with dust so I went over there and
33:53
wrote washed me on the back window boy did that make Vernon mad he called
34:01
up the next day and he said how he said which one of you guys wrote washed me on
34:06
the king’s Cadillac yeah that’s what he said I went less acreage
34:12
yes it was less give him a call that was before cell phone days so you know here’s his office number calling it was
34:18
less the less was so mad that’s incredible yeah all right so you’re back in Fort Worth in your wbap uh life
34:26
begins and and unfolds for sure but at first I came from here to k-plex okay
34:32
yeah I was the pro first pro country program director for kplx oh wow yeah okay and uh uh so a big thank you to uh
34:39
Susquehanna broadcasting and Dan Halliburton and Larry Grogan and those guys they brought me home you probably
34:47
were around a lot of those country stars and all did you ever meet anybody with as much star power as Elvis Presley I
34:54
mean do you think that any of the like it’s a different kind of star power Elvis was kind of mesmerizing that
35:01
that’s more of that’s more of a living legend well
35:06
that’s that’s not even the right word but but you know but you can put Willie up there in Wayland and Waylon came into
35:13
the control room one day and tied me up and took over the radio show because he was he was a disc jockey in Lubbock and
35:20
his wife Jesse Colter came in with him and all she had on was a top made out of feathers
35:26
and every time she’d move those feathers just go finally went and looked at me goes hey Hoss what you looking at I said
35:33
she wore the top what do you mean what am I looking at you know what what uh and then I think this this
35:40
story unfolded from their wbap days what happened with Ronnie Milsap in an
35:46
airplane this is something that’s Memphis that’s back in Memphis too we went and picked
35:51
up Roddy Millsap uh no we went and picked up Charlie Pride Charlie Pride I flew into Memphis
35:56
and the lesson I went out to pick him up at the airport and uh
36:02
he wanted to know if Anne would make him uh um
36:08
gosh what’s that horrible buttermilk uh cornbread buttermilk and she’d make him some cornbread and buttermilk I’ll call
36:14
her after we got to the station and I told him Charlie Pride’s coming over cornbread and buttermilk she said no
36:20
he’s not I’m not gonna cook that so we went down to the Holiday Inn he ate corn but
36:26
anyway so the plane lands we’re there it pulls up the back folds down where you walk up to the back and we walk on a
36:33
huge poker table in the back and as we walk up the cockpit door opens up and
36:38
Ronnie Milsap walks out and says how do you like that lady well oh my gosh that’s great yeah that’s
36:47
great I can tell you stories of Memphis it was it was it was a great town yeah oh gosh great so 42 years at wbap uh 3
36:56
30 a.m you mentioned earlier you get up at three is that I leave I try to leave the house at three
Hals schedule
37:01
forty five what puts me there about 4 20. 340 how many years have you been
37:08
doing that that schedule basically oh my goodness actually
37:13
sits probably about 1980 to 82 or 80 yeah 82. does a human ever
37:21
get used to that or I know you did you did it for so long uh I don’t think your body clock allows you
37:27
to get used to and you learn how to live with it right and do you know it’s heck uh my day’s over at 9 00 a.m yeah
37:35
but you’re going into a place with no windows presumably like a studio and then you’re coming out when it’s
37:40
daylight and there’s got to be something kind of nice about that a little bit too
37:45
or no what’s nice about it is uh you only have to watch out for a certain
37:50
number of nuts driving I-30 you know it’s not like every other car yeah and boy are they out there 3 30 or 4 in the
37:57
morning you gotta really watch and as we sit here today you’ve outlined your your heart um transplant but you’re going
38:04
back to work in three days actually going back on the air in three days time we went upstairs and checked out my
38:09
equipment at home it all it’s perfect everything was great the Boston band this sounds good yeah but I’m gonna
38:16
start driving back a week from Monday that felt so good to sit there and talk to them over the equipment it just kind
38:22
of gave you a boost like okay let’s get this started you know people say when are you going to retire and I said I
38:27
don’t know I’ve got a four hour day job and I love it and I’m having fun who wants to quit saying did you know that
38:33
when your dad had you spending those records it’s way back when like there was there was just something that hit
38:38
you like you know I think I could do or or no it just kind of morphed into that yeah but I got out of high school I went
38:45
to the Air Force recruiter tried to join because I wanted to fly but I was too tall I guess they make it’s bigger
38:53
though but I was too tall back then they said no so I just kept doing it you still love
38:59
it I’m guessing oh yeah yeah it’s a it’s a hoot it’s a lot of fun with you guys talking about it yeah you know tell us
Josh Harbuck
39:06
about this guy Josh you brought up a couple times uh Josh was our firstborn
39:12
uh wonderful young man um you know of course there were times I I wanted to take him back to the
39:18
hospital and start over same way with Carter both wonderful young men and and
39:23
we get that call that uh every parent dreads uh so I’ll say this right now no
39:29
matter what you do how mad you are get over it kiss him and hug him and tell them you see them later on in the day no
39:35
matter how much they have made you mad um and and Josh did the same thing he
39:41
was a great father and I’ll never forget the call when we got it that’s that
39:47
sticks with you uh it’s very hard on the end to this day uh very hard and uh well it’s still hard
39:55
but you you learn how to get through it that’s another God thing
40:00
couldn’t do it without him could not even come close to doing that without him and uh and if it’s okay I would like
40:07
to tell people please watching and listening if you don’t have God in your life get him give it a chance just get
40:16
him all you gotta do is ask all you got to do is ask me and he’s not going to make a house note
40:21
for you or a car payment that’s not the kind of the things he does
40:26
but but he will get in your heart and soul and he will take your worries away right and it’ll happen
40:33
for those who don’t know the whole story Josh was a larger than life guy General giant but six years ago roughly yeah he
40:40
was 36 years old was killed in a car wreck car wreck yeah car wreck and we got that call and uh
40:48
yeah this is very difficult but uh
40:54
still difficult to think about and the things that remind you of him and and stuff where you get you know those feet
40:59
those those pictures on Facebook they’ll pop up history pictures they drive me crazy but uh the uh
41:07
his his wife and kids are just phenomenal his son Hudson is 14 years old
41:14
six foot four you know Joshua’s about six seven-ish maybe six six three
41:22
2015 he was a giant man and uh he loved everybody
41:28
pretty much loved everybody uh and of course I talked to him every day
41:35
every day you know any parent that’s watching this or anything they know
41:41
and what do you think about when you think about Josh if you mind me asking uh the kids I think about Emery and the kids
41:48
and how I wish he was here
41:54
oh well she was here to you know watch uh Hudson play
41:59
baseball or basketball watch Harper play
42:05
volleyball volleyball or basketball and and and uh
42:10
I wish that all the time and I’ll never stop it yes sir it’s like uh and I’ll tell you like I told the
42:17
American Heart Association I’d rather be watching Hudson the Harper or Mary Marshall our five-year-old
42:25
granddaughter of Carter and Sarah by the way we have a two-year-old grandson named Henry or Harry
42:31
[Laughter] that’s all right you got a lot of you
42:37
have a two-year-old grandson named Harry you talk about the light of your life anyway I told the American Heart
42:43
Association I said I would rather be at a a volleyball game or a soccer match
42:51
then on a beach in Italy watching them yeah yes sir yeah it’s there’s no
42:59
you know you learn you learned after something like this that things are just stuff
Things are just stuff
43:06
you know if you’ve got God family and your friends everything else is stuff you don’t need it it’s fun to have I
43:12
like my stuff I like your stuff all these bikes and everything yes it’s great it’s great but uh it doesn’t run
43:21
my life anymore however however I got another car Saturday
43:29
smaller car but it has all the bells and whistles and in one of the interviews if I can go
43:34
back to the heart transplant what are the interviews one of the doctors sat down in my room at 6am
43:41
because you’re up at 5am in the hospitals doing lab working he said about 6 A.M
43:48
Mr harbuck he goes uh uh why should you get to live and two
43:53
other people die wow that was a question oh wow
43:59
oh wow you go through you go through uh psychological question on all of this
44:05
too even and did it and I said you know what I said never
44:11
thought about it but if you know somebody that needs his heart more than I do give it to him
44:17
give it to them there’s a 15 year old out there to definitely give it to them
44:22
I said now who’s the second person he said the person that would have gotten it if you didn’t have it
44:28
that’s two people and I said wow my answer is the same
44:33
yeah I don’t need anybody to die so I can live yes sir you know and look what
44:40
happened you got it I got it and you got somebody telling you and in when you
44:46
were talking about that in kind of my feeble little mind somebody who went before you saying it’s
44:53
going to be okay dad you know what there you go you got this like go I felt like go I felt I felt it have you been
Have you been through this
45:01
through something like that have you been I’ve got some stuff but not but you know but but I learned that kind of here
45:07
too Sim we’ll talk but I told the hospital and everybody said throw the HIPAA laws away on me if you need to use
45:13
anything that has happened to me you use it if somebody can stay alive yes sir I
45:18
said I don’t I don’t care what you tell use it and try to make them better I
45:23
just thought of this Hal um if you mind me asking do you know it was Josh an organ donor yes he was yes he was an
45:29
organ donor okay now I don’t think you had to have a big guy a big guy to
45:36
fill yeah but most Parts but still the thing about it is uh we were not notified of him
45:43
of him using their organs of the of using his organs because of the car
45:49
accident I don’t know I don’t know if that had an effect on the organs right or if uh uh
45:56
the death I don’t think you can be dead very long and have the organs still work
46:03
you know what I’m saying if they lay in limbo and there’s no Oxygen or blood pump to them they die right and so uh
46:10
but no he was an organ donor yeah big proponent of it yes sir all right well
46:15
Hal as we wrap this thing up when a good little Lighter Side of things but um one
46:21
of the things that most people love about you is this crazy crazy laugh of
46:26
yours I don’t know we were trying to make me before you showed up we were talking about how this might have
46:32
happened to you but it was it was it a a consequence of smoking or just you know the sheer size you are but somebody told
46:39
me to say it sounds like an air compressor well it’s uh yeah
46:44
don’t bust down very hard yeah but it’s that what was the dog’s name on TV the character we
46:51
grew up with yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah you got it he’s like the one on the winch stick yeah yeah and I’ve had that
46:56
laugh my entire life actually you know uh I didn’t start smoking until I was like eight so you know it uh what kind
What kind of cigarettes do you smoke
47:03
of cigarettes just as a curiosity what kind of question is that I just get I I gotta do a visual for smoking
47:11
they were filtered yes Barbara did that did Winston did Merit Merit Ultra Lights
47:20
we’re looking for new sponsors now that’s why we’re asking oh is that right fortitude sponsored by Salem 100. it
47:26
tastes good like a cigarette should yeah you know that’s great uh yeah but no thank you
47:34
for asking me to come up here and do yeah thank you before we go yeah you’re getting a lot of heart jokes from your buddies I assume like where the heart
47:41
might have originated from I mean any of that stuff’s happening oh and I can’t repeat them you can no I can’t repeat
47:47
them but the guys at the radio station give me a hard time I reckon they do yeah they have been giving me some some
47:52
grief over it and which is great fun and uh yeah they you know especially money
47:58
cook Mighty cook I’m gonna pound him on the head so well we end the show some
48:05
more but you’re and this is I know this because you told us but you’re about to turn 70 in a few weeks right yes this is
48:10
amazing so we’re kind of here celebrate you and your heart and maybe your 70th birthday is upon the Horizon well
48:16
that’ll be great thank you that’d be great it’s a happy early birthday thank you and last question before you you dig
48:21
them up is the there seems to have surfaced or at least we know of its whereabouts there’s a photo of you on a
48:28
Toro I’m gonna tell you right now if Brian is watching this I’m gonna kill Ashley well you know where it came from
48:34
so is the police are listening you know who it is yeah I promised him that I would ask you about that he he held me
48:40
to do it so I made it promise I’ll do it why oh my gosh anyway go ahead it looks like
48:47
Jabba the Hutt sitting on a Toro mode I’ve never seen it I just know that it it’s he’s we’ve all had our days why
48:54
can’t people just let that go right let it go look at you now man look at you now I feel good okay so still slow but
49:00
go ahead best day of your life families you know we’ve talked through a lot of stuff you might know this answer yeah
49:06
yeah we might but um but best day best day best day of my life without anything with family with
49:12
no wife no no marriage or just the best day of your personal life yeah Best Day of my personal life
49:19
well there’s so many things I can say but I have to go back two months I think that’s got to be it I gotta go back home
49:25
months so you know when I got the heart transplant there’s been many great days
49:32
but this this day gave me another life a new life
49:38
because of organ donors and so I’ve got I’ve got to say that
49:43
you know yeah well how awesome it’s awesome to hear man yeah thank you so much great we’ve
49:50
loved you for a long time right back at you thanks for being a good human being that’s the best part about you you’re the best and I wish you what back on the
49:57
air and uh you know stay off those tours thank you guys thank you thank you all
50:02
thank you for watching fortitude that’s Hal harbuck talk to you next time
50:09
[Music] roxo media house
roxo media house
0:06
welcome back to fortitude JW Brinton today on the show we got a we got a
0:11
legend Brinton the guy sitting between the two of us man that needs little introduction we’ll do it anyway Mr Hal
0:19
harbuck welcome to the show what’s the J stand do we call you Dr J on the show here what do we call you here well thanks
Who is Hal Harbuck
0:25
jdub uh no I tell you um Hal Jay is a semi-real name of course
0:31
the real name is Hal hardbuck but when I got to radio in 1980s 60s yeah I’m gonna say 1969
0:40
up in Liberal Kansas uh I moved up there during my high school years to live with my father
0:48
and he was the manager of a radio station Plus in those little towns the manager also has a radio show and uh he was on
0:55
the air one day and it did his part and one of the disc jockeys didn’t show up
1:00
he says you gotta you gotta do this yep I said I don’t know how to do this he goes I’ll show you just spin records and
1:07
give the time and uh you know things like that I said okay well the next day that this junkie didn’t show up so this
1:13
led to okay some part-time stuff and then it got to the point where I was doing it all the time
1:19
and uh I kind of fell in love with it and if I knew uh and when I knew I was going to want
1:25
to do this I moved back down from Liberal Kansas back to my hometown of Fort Worth
1:31
and uh try to get in a Major Market and and that happened and then we went uh Ann and I went to
1:37
Memphis we got married and went to Memphis and and then back to uh Fort Worth but the J is like a DJ I got a
Hal Jay
1:44
sidetracked so the J my name is Hal Harbaugh Jr and it messed up people with
1:50
two Hal hard books on the radio right he said your name is Hal Jay now the J stood for junior so that’s how it kind
1:55
of got to know and you came honestly your father was a disc jockey as well yes yes he was a he was a Salesman disc
2:02
jockey uh in those little towns of 16 000 people you kind of do everything
2:07
what records were you spending on that first oh that was back in the days of uh country oh yeah yeah yeah all country
2:15
All Pure Pure Country not like it is today no no and I’m not cutting down
2:20
today’s country but just it’s completely different like that west coast country like um yeah I’m trying to think those guys
2:27
well why you’re thinking let me set the table real quick right so if for those of you who don’t follow along with what
2:33
Mr harbuck is telling us he’s a long time radio uh host of on the station wbap for decades or 42 years 42 years
2:42
and before that you mentioned Liberal Kansas those that don’t know who he is probably don’t know much of anything
2:47
likely he’s been around he’s a he’s a hell of a guy he’s a friend and you love you know a lot of things for a lot of
2:53
things for other people which we’re grateful for well you’re very capable we’re going to get into your radio here in a little bit but before we do that
2:58
something major has happened in your life we’d like to talk about that I think you can agree with that but you
3:04
are almost a two-month recipient of a brand new heart
3:09
um April the 4th will be the two months uh date of receiving the heart
3:15
and here I am sitting with you I got cleared to drive last Saturday
3:21
and I hadn’t driven since October just so you’ll know that’s another story but uh so I got cleared to drive
3:27
and I and both Ann and Carter are they both you’re going too fast you’re going
3:32
too fast take it easy and you know the doctors told me the surgeons and and
3:37
everybody at Baylor Scott and White said you’ll know when your heart tells you to slow down and your body tells you and uh
Heart Failure
3:44
and it does you know but I make myself get up and uh and try to and do almost
3:51
everything I can myself because I’ll tell you Jada Ann was the caregiver oh she’s been
3:57
through she’s been through a lot more hell than I yes sir oh my gosh well Hal let’s start let’s start like this let’s tell
4:04
the story so people can understand but you were you you suffer from congestive heart failure for a while right a long
4:09
time back 17 years ago I had a heart attack okay did your dad have heart issues or did anybody
4:16
my cardiologist says well congratulations you’re the first with heart disease yeah uh but that’s this
4:23
was 17 years ago I was at a Possum Kingdom and my daughter-in-law and I just got
4:28
through writing big Mabel that’s really strange to say isn’t it
4:34
was it a horse no big mail’s a float oh yeah a little behind the boat oh yeah
4:40
Henry and I just got through writing that and I was walking back to the house and I felt this pain
4:45
and I thought oh no not now and sure enough well Josh and Josh was out there he got me in the car and we met an
4:51
ambulance coming from Mineral Wells on Highway 80. and we pulled over I got in the
4:58
ambulance we went into mineral wells into Pinto General Hospital
5:04
and Dr John Jones and his staff met me there got out got into the emergency room
5:10
and the questions began he says your name please I said Hal harbuck he goes
5:17
do you know where you are I said yes I’m in Mineral Wells he goes are you in any pain no I’m not at all
5:22
um do you know what happened to you I said well I believe I’ve had a heart attack
5:28
he goes yes yes he goes now then uh uh do you eat healthy I said nah he goes do
Heart Attack
5:34
you uh do you smoke I said no sir I said have you ever smoked I said oh
5:40
yes he goes when did you quit I said about 30 minutes ago
5:45
and everybody in the emergency room started laughing I said hey hey come on we’re back here here we go and so that
5:52
was the beginning of it and uh careflighted to uh Plaza Medical Center in Fort Worth
5:58
where I met three doctors that saved my life Dr Syed Shaw Dr Lon Walder and Dr
6:04
Todd Gray and those three men got uh together and uh and saved my life
6:12
Dr Shaw put a couple of stints in me and uh or Dr Walter did and that’s
6:21
that’s the history of it and and then move forward many years many years uh actually last October
6:29
last October I had what they call a vtac familiar with them yes sir
6:34
what’s that for tachycardia ventricular tachycardia and you know some people say it’s a
6:41
heart attack some don’t it’s it’s highly related but I do believe it’s worse than
6:47
a heart attack a ventricular tachycardia it affected the right side of my heart I
6:53
had one beginning of October and then I had another one in January
6:59
and then two at the hospital in the ICU at Baylor Scott and White well when you have the my heart was basically dead
7:06
and uh from the damage before from the 17 years ago well that’s that’s really interesting because
7:13
my uh cardiologist Dr Shaw uh and Fort Worth said
7:20
you know some someday you’re gonna probably have to have a heart transplant passage yeah right well then
7:26
I didn’t believe it everybody else knew this was coming and Carter uh Dr Shaw Dr
7:33
Shelly Hall who is a head of the Baylor transplant team at Baylor Scott and
7:38
White Dallas phenomenal it’s phenomenal they all knew it was coming because I’ve been a
7:43
patient of hers he sent me over there six years ago to get in persist get on the list you
7:50
know not on the list yep but to get in their system so it wouldn’t be a new patient boy that’s great Insight isn’t
7:57
it and then it happened uh Ann and the family got back from the national championship game Tuesday night
8:03
at seven o’clock and they all walked in the house and hugging and kissing how was it did you
8:09
have fun at 7 15 I told Anna said I’m going to bed I got to get up at 3 30 the
8:15
next morning you know and uh I turned around said you know I don’t really feel good and I hit the ground
8:21
bam I was out and our doctor Dr Amber Leslie lives
8:27
across the street from us her and her husband Nathan who’s a also a doctor came running over
8:33
she couldn’t find a pulse and went on and on and on finally
8:38
I came back too like nothing had happened I was sitting one what’s going on
8:44
and she said well you’ve you you hit the ground passed out
8:49
I said I’m good now I’m going to bed no no no no no no no going to the hospital went to Harris Dr Shaw
8:57
found out and this is why Dr Shaw saved my life he knew that he had done as much as he
9:03
could he said you’re going to Baylor Scott and White tonight and I had a transport
9:10
at 11 o’clock at night to get me to Baylor Scott and White and I was there for
9:16
I guess 33 days most of it 30 of it probably even ICU
Transplant
9:22
do you remember every day uh yes but they got you kind of on stuff
9:28
to make well sure yeah they do uh um
9:33
but I I can remember most everything except for when I came out of the surgery of the of the transplant yeah
9:40
well let’s talk before we get into that tell us about the phone call because I’ve seen the Deborah Ferguson interview
9:45
love Deborah Ferguson I think she’s I know she’s a colleague and a lovely lady but that that was touching so please
9:51
share that during this process when you make the list when you make the
9:57
list there’s a couple of us first of all there’s a list that they consider you to be a a transplant can then there’s the
10:06
next one where you are a transplant candidate you make the list to be on the list
10:11
got this uh they they told me they said no matter where you go or what you do
10:17
always have your phone with you because you’ll receive a call and get watch act as a phone
10:24
yeah I can use this yeah but I always kept my cell phone with me
10:30
I said uh okay that’s good well I’m laying there in uh
10:35
the ICU room at Baylor and and the phone
10:41
um the phone ring and um
10:47
the young lady said Mr harbuck this is the Baylor Scott and White transplant team
10:53
and this is the call that’s all she said
10:59
this is the call wow as you’re there in the hot I mean it’s
The call
11:06
I’m in the hospital what’s the diagnosis if you don’t get the call just wait for more days are you wait I almost expected
11:12
to wait six weeks to three months in that hospital and without without it though Hal that there was the prognosis
11:19
was Grim it was Grim because that was not what they call an impeller which I don’t know works all the time and I
11:25
think it’s Ann said it’s it’s not as permanent thing to keep you alive the impeller kept my right side of my heart
11:31
beating you know they got those in outboard motors impellas impeller because I said the same thing oh you did
11:39
I said the same thing I said I’ve got one of these in my boat yeah it sucks the water in right yeah I hope it’s a
11:45
lot smaller it’s the same thing they dropped the R1 yeah make it sound more important but that’s so true so I got
11:52
the call and did I called and I said you’re not gonna believe this I’ve got a heart and she started screaming and crying and
11:58
uh she was in fact she was in Target shopping for me for stuff uh uh uh a
12:05
fire stick to plug into the TVs at the hospital so uh got the heart and this was after
12:14
10 days not three six weeks or six three months I got lucky because there’s different
12:21
levels of transplants at least for heart there’s one through seven if you’re on
12:27
level one you’re really really bad sick I mean it’s dangerous seven yeah you
12:34
know I don’t I don’t know uh but they got the impeller in me and then they moved me back down to a level
12:41
four well at level four you can go home and in fact the day I had my that final
12:48
VTEC um that day I had another uh that’s when I
VTAC
12:54
had the vtac that’s the day I was going home Junior 24th no this was
13:00
I guess maybe so when what was that day uh yeah I’m gonna you’re close
13:08
and after that happened they moved me to level two
13:13
high up on level two that’s not Baylor’s level it’s a level that’s shared by transplant hospitals
13:21
all over the nation you know so you just don’t you know you just don’t uh
13:27
go in there and bump somebody out you know because I would never want to do
13:33
that right under any circumstance but so I made level two which is high priority in fact if you’re one or two or three
13:40
you can’t leave the hospital they won’t let you leave the hospital or ICU I think the v-tac bumped you up
13:48
to level two from that level yeah yeah especially since it happened in front of them that was a strange strange
13:56
strange day because at that point I was holding hands hand
14:01
and looking at her in the face we’re about this far apart I said I love you but I’m not going to make it
14:08
I said I know I’m gonna die right here she says no you’re not I said
14:14
I said I can I can feel it and it’s strange looking at death like
14:20
that and uh uh all of a sudden you know I got
14:25
shocked and and everything got back to normal somewhat nothing went back to normal
14:31
still didn’t but it will be uh got back to somewhat normal
14:36
and uh but I remember you know I remember
14:43
that day I’ll never forget it because I wrote you know and the thing about it is I was scared
14:51
but I wasn’t afraid and to clarify that everybody’s scared to die nobody
14:57
but I’m not going to preach but with God in
Not Afraid
15:03
your hearts and soul I knew that if I died
15:08
I’d be with Josh and yeah we’ll talk about Josh later you said yes sir I’ll be with Josh our son
15:15
so as I’m sitting there thinking I’m dying the reason I wasn’t afraid is because I
15:21
win both ways if I win you know one way I went I get to stay with Ann and watch
15:28
the grandkids grow up if I die I still win because I get to go be with God and Josh
15:34
it was win-win for me yeah and that’s why I wasn’t afraid I wasn’t wasn’t afraid to talk about it
15:39
and uh of course upset and and the family they were
15:45
well they were Troopers I got to tell you do you I’m sorry to interrupt no do you think that you know you talked about
15:52
getting the call you were by yourself in the room like that you think there’s significance in that that at that time
15:58
your wife that I just for some reason that hit me like maybe there was an
16:04
impact there that you were alone like it was a call it was that was kind of maybe on the Divine side like and and and
16:11
maybe that helped reconcile that or create that you say the Divine side there are so many things I can think
16:17
back on now the four V tax what if I’d have been driving with my grandkids
16:23
yep didn’t happen you know uh what if 17 years ago you’ve been on the raft when that happened it
16:31
didn’t happen happened inside it got I got inside got to the hospital and there’s so many I think Divine
16:37
happenings that if I’m there in that hospital room by myself and I got the
16:42
call that’s a really great point might have been two calls combined you know yeah
16:49
yeah that’s really a good point good good yeah so they found your heart you’re going into surgery you just
16:57
relate how you’re you’re not scared but you we went either way and I’ll that’s phenomenal way to look at things you
17:03
wake up Hal and it’s done it’s done what does it feel I know you’re you have to
17:08
get through the the grogginess and back to back to Lucidity but what does it feel like well now that you have this
17:14
new heart inside of you you know when you first wake up uh after the surgery and the surgery took place at one
17:20
o’clock in the morning Dr Raphael was the surgeon one o’clock in the morning I was back in the room at
17:26
5 30. and he called and to say hey things went great and everything he said I can’t
17:31
talk right now I have to go do another one oh gosh yeah you know I mean who do you
The Donor Family
17:37
call hearts are us and I ship one more over yeah and that’s another thing the donor family you immediately think about
17:43
the donor family and the pain they’re going through so I can live yes sir you
17:48
know but uh immediately anything about them not yet will you at some point I’m going to try the hospital said give it
17:55
you know six months or so and uh but you know the name of the person it came from I don’t know
18:00
anything about it yeah and they and they won’t tell you when they do the heart do they they stick that thing in they like
18:06
sew all the pipes all the I mean I guess so you know I guess so I had a
18:11
defibrillator I’m just thinking of a punch earlier in the week and I was just
18:16
thinking how they clamped that thing together push the gears and put oil and yeah you know they do all that okay so
18:24
waking up sorry okay yeah waking up uh I remember briefly
18:31
and it was the most miserable thing by the way the most miserable thing in the world I hope it never happens to anybody
18:36
in this room is to have a ventilator stuck down your throat
18:42
the best one of the best days of my life is when they pulled that thing out yes sir and one of the worst days of my life is
18:49
when they pulled out the uh uh the catheter um
18:59
so anyway it’s a truth so anyway I remember waking up
19:05
and I looked up I looked up thank God
19:13
thank you so much and then my
19:19
my attention immediately went to Josh
19:25
this is all me talking to you I said I made it so you’re gonna have to wait a few more years
19:32
and it was almost like I could hear him and see saying that’s great that’s great
19:38
it’s a weird feeling of what you go through
19:44
it was there was no near-death experiences Ed ndes for me or I didn’t see a white light um
19:52
but I could feel the presence yeah I could feel the presence of God
19:57
and uh it’s a very very difficult thing to
20:03
describe as I told you before yeah I said you don’t want to say tell somebody well I wish you could experience this
20:08
you know you do you don’t want to say that uh but it’s an experience I’ll never I’ll
20:15
live by every day every day now that you’re back amongst the The Walking in
20:21
the driving you said yeah what do you feel like as opposed to how you used to feel can you describe what it’s is it
20:27
like a fresh battery a new birth a rebirth rebirth it feels like a rebirth
20:33
a second chance you know and uh I’ll never
20:38
I’ll never not exercise again go to cardiac rehab three times a week and it’s amazing it can be a little rough
20:45
especially that first week I went you do all this exercising and you you
20:50
won’t be you’ll be surprised how much muscle loss you have accumulate 31 days
20:55
in the hospital right right for 33 days just laying there uh but uh do we ever do we ever think
Smoking
21:03
about smoking sometimes on the days when it’s it smells really good you know and
21:08
the humidity is just right when that person’s smoking and or or is it like I can’t go there I can’t in fact uh at the
21:16
hospital uh one day I was waiting for Anne to come back around and pick me up we were leaving the hospital there’s a guy outside smoking
21:22
and smoking in a hospital oh yeah yeah it’s a kind of a weird thing I went outside and he was a patient went
21:28
outside to smoke and I got to think I got to thinking uh
21:35
you know that never used to bother me because I was a smoker at one time and uh
21:41
and then sitting there on that bench outside the hospital waiting for Anne I thought I’m gonna have to ask him to
21:47
move or maybe I should move you know but by the time I thought that through he’d got hit moved yeah but uh
21:54
yeah it’s amazing it’s amazing and I’m not going to sit here and lie to everybody and and say
21:59
yeah you know I did my exercising and blah blah this and that I know I didn’t um
22:05
yes sir I didn’t eating burgers and fries oh it’s only five nights this week
22:11
exactly you know oh that’s right Burgers and Fries and cherry pies and yeah chicken fried steaks and then go home
22:18
and sit on the couch that’ll never happen again my blood sugar this morning was 118.
22:24
is that good I don’t know that’s great that’s great 118. and uh
22:30
you know it’ll Spike up to well two or three days ago it spiked up to three something which is immediate so
22:37
I ate something wrong um uh not necessarily sugar but the carbs
22:42
the carbs I do everything sugar-free that I can but I gotta watch the carbs you know uh so I knew I did something
22:49
wrong but I’m fighting to get that back down and um energy level oh yeah better than before
22:56
yeah my energy level is good compared to what I’ve been through right you know I I drive myself now
23:02
um I broadcast from home to the next week I’m gonna walk up the stairs three weeks ago
23:08
three weeks ago probably four weeks my grandson had to help me put on my shoes really my ankles would that big around
23:15
swollen with ademia or fluids if you want to call it that
23:21
um but to this day to this day even though the shoes slip on now and everything the swelling’s
23:28
gone it’s still hard to bend over and tie them because you’ve bent over and you know and you’re choking everything
23:34
off for a moment but that’s gets better every day too so it’s it’s all a matter of step-by-step
23:41
process probably take a year how much um how much insulin you can take JW
23:53
yeah and see I I may get to quit it that’s what you said so yeah everything
23:59
yeah what do they do the in it’s all to just keep that blood sugar level what happens to your heart when your
24:05
blood sugar is upper it goes Super beats or I don’t know this is a different animal for me so you know what I think I
24:12
have to answer that by saying it’s different for JW and just different from being yeah uh I work with some people
24:18
whose daughter has a a guy whose daughter has it and she may be different although they’re trying to get mine down
24:24
around my normal was around one point which is
24:29
kind of borderline type two you know and some doctors would say no that is dark too if they want it 100 or below
24:37
I don’t know if he’ll ever get there or not I just want it back down to where you know I don’t have to take the insulin or whatever yeah my doctor in
24:44
Dallas Dr Hall said yeah you may be on this for quite a while which is uh just fine with me do you understand a
24:50
Whataburger bag in your hand when you walked in is there anything yeah okay so you know I’ll tell you something funny though
24:56
when you’re watching carbs and sugars you look up all these you read labels on things you buy and you if you’re going
Whataburger
25:03
to go to Whataburger we looked up a Whataburger of uh
25:08
uh a double meat with cheese no lettuce or tomatoes because I can’t have that because they have to be washed
25:16
well and you don’t know if they’re just sitting out really why what’s the deal with because just any kind of infection
25:21
you’re you’re done for exactly yeah yeah there’s the immune autoimmune system is shot
25:26
but uh so I looked it up and uh the Whataburger
25:32
just the single was like uh 40 carbs I can have 60 per meal okay lunch uh
25:40
breakfast lunch and dinner I can have 60. so I told Dan I said if that’s only 45 or
25:46
46 carbs and meat and cheese have no carbs you can eat a triple meat which you know
25:52
I’m not talking about calories or buns right
25:57
yeah the bun is what has the carb yeah and I can eat bread I had a grilled
26:03
cheese sandwich before I came over here you know which had 25 or 30 I don’t I don’t know yeah but I’m allowed 60 per
26:09
meal and uh it’s it’s quite amazing what you can eat right well you’ve you’ve lived
26:15
it your whole life uh if you just watch it and when you Splurge I think that’s what I did I
26:22
splurged on something I know what it was a piece of cheesecake Deborah and Steve took us to dinner now
26:28
there you go I appreciate it could you feel it immediately no the next day I did
26:34
I think because my body’s just not used to it and all those meds I think 15 16 medications a day yeah well not to
26:42
digress too much let’s uh can you tell us I don’t want to ruin the mood here right uh you mentioned talk about organ
26:48
donations you know enough about that now you could share a little bit about like how hard is it for a person to get a
26:54
heart like someone in your situation is it is it always going to get solved or there are people that don’t ever get
Organ Donation
27:00
that because they’re not available there’s people that don’t ever get it because they’re not available and time runs out on them and it just happens
27:06
that’s why organ donation is so important it’s so important and you know 10 years ago 15 20 years I wish I’d have
27:13
known this uh I’ve always been an organ donor you know and the rest of the family is
27:19
but you know that organ donor you check it going okay well I’ll be glad to do that no big deal well when it hits home
27:27
you realize how important organ donation is you know and at the same time one of the
27:33
first thing I thought about when I got my heart was the pain the family that donated the organ was going through
27:39
so it’s a two-way street uh but if I could urge people to to sign
27:46
up and be an organ donor and uh I understand that if you don’t it’s
27:52
because you want your loved one all together and you want to and I understand that uh without a doubt uh
27:59
let the organ donation is is so important yes sir how old was that heart like how I have no idea yeah you
28:07
probably people just bring it home they’re definitely going to take notice you can’t help but notice how I mean
28:13
this it’s meaningful that people they understand more now than they ever did before well I hope so because I was dumb
28:20
to the fact you know oh organ donor oh that’s the right thing to do I’ll check that yeah yeah but you don’t think about
28:25
it you ever go through the day and go I don’t know if this is the right heart for me it’s never happened my lungs are
28:31
completely clear I can breathe they took the defibrillator uh out of my chest I
28:36
don’t have it anymore if I want to climb a mountain I can go up about you know I couldn’t go
28:41
above 7 500 feet before uh there’s a lot of things I can do my lungs and it’s strange when they get you
28:48
ready for transplant it’s all about numbers numbers have to be right
28:54
uh it’s it’s not about your mood or what you look it’s these numbers as they
28:59
compare they have to be perfect and so uh they were going three minutes
29:05
and they did a biopsy on uh my lungs and they scraped out they they emptied
29:11
out so much fluid and so much mucus is is maybe the word almost Jello
29:18
I was drowning that’s what I was doing I was drowning and uh it came to the point where the
29:24
right side of the heart just quit and uh so the organ donation part is uh gee is
29:31
it is it important I just can’t stress enough well if you
29:37
think about how many folks they go through the surgery they get it and then it’s like it just didn’t take you know
29:44
you know I mean like think about the coming out of it I mean that’s the remarkable thing is you never know
29:49
because they tell you that they tell you listen the heart’s on the way but there’s many things that can happen
29:55
we could take it out of the uh the freezer or whatever they said they did I can’t remember what it’s called like a
30:03
bot like it’s a cooler I used to use Igloo cooler yeah uh and they still do
30:08
but maybe they’re Yeti now yeah uh but it’s it’s funny uh they test
30:16
everything and they got my lungs cleared out they they test you your liver and kidneys and
30:22
everything one of the doctors at the hospital said other than your heart you’re one of the healthiest people we’ve ever seen
30:28
no cancers no blockages no nothing like that it was such a relief to hear that yeah and the thing about a heart
30:35
transplant is or maybe even liver or lung or whatever the transplant may be you got to be sick
30:42
enough to need it but well enough to get it you know surely it’s really a it’s a
30:48
catch-22 type well thank you for sharing that story that’s on everybody’s mind and you know we’re all grateful you’re
30:53
sitting here before us and it’s great that’s why we got you here and you’re you’re a notorious Storyteller we’ve
30:59
listened to you on the air for so long but take us back to your background a little bit and we’ll get in touch and
Elvis Story
31:05
we’ll finish up with talking about Josh here in a second okay good good you’re from Liberal Kansas no I’m four or four
31:10
but you started that’s correct you moved on to Memphis that’s where you arrived in Fort Worth and I lived in Memphis for
31:16
seven years you I know this you’ve told me this but I love you to share it with us uh you you got a little bit acquainted with a guy named Elvis
31:22
Presley back in the day or at least indirectly but yeah tell us about the
31:27
the car and then one night I know this story if one of your colleagues might have divulged but you got a phone call
31:33
one night about uh I love you to share that story as well okay those two stores
31:38
those two stories one night we were laying in bed it’s about two o’clock in the morning and then the phone rang and
31:43
there was a friend of mine named Bill Browder he changed his name to TG Shepard and so TG Shepard he goes what
31:50
are you doing I said I’m checking for cracks in my eyelids what do you mean he said we’re asleep he goes what are you
31:55
doing he goes we’re over here Grayson Elvis wants to know if you guys want to come over and sing some songs and stuff
32:01
I went I went well I’ve got to get be on the air here at 5am
32:07
I said I’m going to pass this time call us next time y’all get together and do that and uh I’ll be glad we’ll be glad to
32:14
come over and hung up the phone Hanson who was that I said STG what’d he want I said well they’re over Graceland wanting
32:19
having a little party want to know if we want to come over and see music she jumped up out of bed and was rolling
32:26
here before I could say before I say we’re not coming yeah and she she was mad at me for two weeks good God she was
32:33
bad but uh did you go over did you think you go over no no we didn’t go we didn’t
32:39
go but I did go one time when Elvis was sick the radio station worked for we had a we
32:46
had a promotion a big promotion but like may have been an eight foot by 10 foot get well card that would go out on
32:52
broadcast and people would come by and sign get well Elvis so we had it all done and everything and
32:59
this friend of mine he’s dead now his name is less a creek and Les and I went over to Graceland and uh uh Vestal
Vernon Presley
33:06
Presley his uncle was The Keeper of the gate he was the guy he goes yeah we’ve been expecting you’ve been expecting you
33:11
pulled into the back behind Graceland and Vernon his dad came out
33:17
and said uh you go I’m sorry Elvis can’t come down he’s in bed he’s still he’s still sick I said well it’s okay we just
33:24
wanted to deliver this and uh no make sure he knows how much people love him here in Memphis he was this is fantastic
33:30
he’ll love this well Vernon went back inside for a minute and while
33:36
while he was inside Elvis’s mother’s Cadillac was there sitting out there underneath the
33:42
you know uh uh you guys are just out there smoking just
33:48
shoes what do we do now while we wait and I looked at it man that thing was caked with dust so I went over there and
33:53
wrote washed me on the back window boy did that make Vernon mad he called
34:01
up the next day and he said how he said which one of you guys wrote washed me on
34:06
the king’s Cadillac yeah that’s what he said I went less acreage
34:12
yes it was less give him a call that was before cell phone days so you know here’s his office number calling it was
34:18
less the less was so mad that’s incredible yeah all right so you’re back in Fort Worth in your wbap uh life
34:26
begins and and unfolds for sure but at first I came from here to k-plex okay
34:32
yeah I was the pro first pro country program director for kplx oh wow yeah okay and uh uh so a big thank you to uh
34:39
Susquehanna broadcasting and Dan Halliburton and Larry Grogan and those guys they brought me home you probably
34:47
were around a lot of those country stars and all did you ever meet anybody with as much star power as Elvis Presley I
34:54
mean do you think that any of the like it’s a different kind of star power Elvis was kind of mesmerizing that
35:01
that’s more of that’s more of a living legend well
35:06
that’s that’s not even the right word but but you know but you can put Willie up there in Wayland and Waylon came into
35:13
the control room one day and tied me up and took over the radio show because he was he was a disc jockey in Lubbock and
35:20
his wife Jesse Colter came in with him and all she had on was a top made out of feathers
35:26
and every time she’d move those feathers just go finally went and looked at me goes hey Hoss what you looking at I said
35:33
she wore the top what do you mean what am I looking at you know what what uh and then I think this this
35:40
story unfolded from their wbap days what happened with Ronnie Milsap in an
35:46
airplane this is something that’s Memphis that’s back in Memphis too we went and picked
35:51
up Roddy Millsap uh no we went and picked up Charlie Pride Charlie Pride I flew into Memphis
35:56
and the lesson I went out to pick him up at the airport and uh
36:02
he wanted to know if Anne would make him uh um
36:08
gosh what’s that horrible buttermilk uh cornbread buttermilk and she’d make him some cornbread and buttermilk I’ll call
36:14
her after we got to the station and I told him Charlie Pride’s coming over cornbread and buttermilk she said no
36:20
he’s not I’m not gonna cook that so we went down to the Holiday Inn he ate corn but
36:26
anyway so the plane lands we’re there it pulls up the back folds down where you walk up to the back and we walk on a
36:33
huge poker table in the back and as we walk up the cockpit door opens up and
36:38
Ronnie Milsap walks out and says how do you like that lady well oh my gosh that’s great yeah that’s
36:47
great I can tell you stories of Memphis it was it was it was a great town yeah oh gosh great so 42 years at wbap uh 3
36:56
30 a.m you mentioned earlier you get up at three is that I leave I try to leave the house at three
Hals schedule
37:01
forty five what puts me there about 4 20. 340 how many years have you been
37:08
doing that that schedule basically oh my goodness actually
37:13
sits probably about 1980 to 82 or 80 yeah 82. does a human ever
37:21
get used to that or I know you did you did it for so long uh I don’t think your body clock allows you
37:27
to get used to and you learn how to live with it right and do you know it’s heck uh my day’s over at 9 00 a.m yeah
37:35
but you’re going into a place with no windows presumably like a studio and then you’re coming out when it’s
37:40
daylight and there’s got to be something kind of nice about that a little bit too
37:45
or no what’s nice about it is uh you only have to watch out for a certain
37:50
number of nuts driving I-30 you know it’s not like every other car yeah and boy are they out there 3 30 or 4 in the
37:57
morning you gotta really watch and as we sit here today you’ve outlined your your heart um transplant but you’re going
38:04
back to work in three days actually going back on the air in three days time we went upstairs and checked out my
38:09
equipment at home it all it’s perfect everything was great the Boston band this sounds good yeah but I’m gonna
38:16
start driving back a week from Monday that felt so good to sit there and talk to them over the equipment it just kind
38:22
of gave you a boost like okay let’s get this started you know people say when are you going to retire and I said I
38:27
don’t know I’ve got a four hour day job and I love it and I’m having fun who wants to quit saying did you know that
38:33
when your dad had you spending those records it’s way back when like there was there was just something that hit
38:38
you like you know I think I could do or or no it just kind of morphed into that yeah but I got out of high school I went
38:45
to the Air Force recruiter tried to join because I wanted to fly but I was too tall I guess they make it’s bigger
38:53
though but I was too tall back then they said no so I just kept doing it you still love
38:59
it I’m guessing oh yeah yeah it’s a it’s a hoot it’s a lot of fun with you guys talking about it yeah you know tell us
Josh Harbuck
39:06
about this guy Josh you brought up a couple times uh Josh was our firstborn
39:12
uh wonderful young man um you know of course there were times I I wanted to take him back to the
39:18
hospital and start over same way with Carter both wonderful young men and and
39:23
we get that call that uh every parent dreads uh so I’ll say this right now no
39:29
matter what you do how mad you are get over it kiss him and hug him and tell them you see them later on in the day no
39:35
matter how much they have made you mad um and and Josh did the same thing he
39:41
was a great father and I’ll never forget the call when we got it that’s that
39:47
sticks with you uh it’s very hard on the end to this day uh very hard and uh well it’s still hard
39:55
but you you learn how to get through it that’s another God thing
40:00
couldn’t do it without him could not even come close to doing that without him and uh and if it’s okay I would like
40:07
to tell people please watching and listening if you don’t have God in your life get him give it a chance just get
40:16
him all you gotta do is ask all you got to do is ask me and he’s not going to make a house note
40:21
for you or a car payment that’s not the kind of the things he does
40:26
but but he will get in your heart and soul and he will take your worries away right and it’ll happen
40:33
for those who don’t know the whole story Josh was a larger than life guy General giant but six years ago roughly yeah he
40:40
was 36 years old was killed in a car wreck car wreck yeah car wreck and we got that call and uh
40:48
yeah this is very difficult but uh
40:54
still difficult to think about and the things that remind you of him and and stuff where you get you know those feet
40:59
those those pictures on Facebook they’ll pop up history pictures they drive me crazy but uh the uh
41:07
his his wife and kids are just phenomenal his son Hudson is 14 years old
41:14
six foot four you know Joshua’s about six seven-ish maybe six six three
41:22
2015 he was a giant man and uh he loved everybody
41:28
pretty much loved everybody uh and of course I talked to him every day
41:35
every day you know any parent that’s watching this or anything they know
41:41
and what do you think about when you think about Josh if you mind me asking uh the kids I think about Emery and the kids
41:48
and how I wish he was here
41:54
oh well she was here to you know watch uh Hudson play
41:59
baseball or basketball watch Harper play
42:05
volleyball volleyball or basketball and and and uh
42:10
I wish that all the time and I’ll never stop it yes sir it’s like uh and I’ll tell you like I told the
42:17
American Heart Association I’d rather be watching Hudson the Harper or Mary Marshall our five-year-old
42:25
granddaughter of Carter and Sarah by the way we have a two-year-old grandson named Henry or Harry
42:31
[Laughter] that’s all right you got a lot of you
42:37
have a two-year-old grandson named Harry you talk about the light of your life anyway I told the American Heart
42:43
Association I said I would rather be at a a volleyball game or a soccer match
42:51
then on a beach in Italy watching them yeah yes sir yeah it’s there’s no
42:59
you know you learn you learned after something like this that things are just stuff
Things are just stuff
43:06
you know if you’ve got God family and your friends everything else is stuff you don’t need it it’s fun to have I
43:12
like my stuff I like your stuff all these bikes and everything yes it’s great it’s great but uh it doesn’t run
43:21
my life anymore however however I got another car Saturday
43:29
smaller car but it has all the bells and whistles and in one of the interviews if I can go
43:34
back to the heart transplant what are the interviews one of the doctors sat down in my room at 6am
43:41
because you’re up at 5am in the hospitals doing lab working he said about 6 A.M
43:48
Mr harbuck he goes uh uh why should you get to live and two
43:53
other people die wow that was a question oh wow
43:59
oh wow you go through you go through uh psychological question on all of this
44:05
too even and did it and I said you know what I said never
44:11
thought about it but if you know somebody that needs his heart more than I do give it to him
44:17
give it to them there’s a 15 year old out there to definitely give it to them
44:22
I said now who’s the second person he said the person that would have gotten it if you didn’t have it
44:28
that’s two people and I said wow my answer is the same
44:33
yeah I don’t need anybody to die so I can live yes sir you know and look what
44:40
happened you got it I got it and you got somebody telling you and in when you
44:46
were talking about that in kind of my feeble little mind somebody who went before you saying it’s
44:53
going to be okay dad you know what there you go you got this like go I felt like go I felt I felt it have you been
Have you been through this
45:01
through something like that have you been I’ve got some stuff but not but you know but but I learned that kind of here
45:07
too Sim we’ll talk but I told the hospital and everybody said throw the HIPAA laws away on me if you need to use
45:13
anything that has happened to me you use it if somebody can stay alive yes sir I
45:18
said I don’t I don’t care what you tell use it and try to make them better I
45:23
just thought of this Hal um if you mind me asking do you know it was Josh an organ donor yes he was yes he was an
45:29
organ donor okay now I don’t think you had to have a big guy a big guy to
45:36
fill yeah but most Parts but still the thing about it is uh we were not notified of him
45:43
of him using their organs of the of using his organs because of the car
45:49
accident I don’t know I don’t know if that had an effect on the organs right or if uh uh
45:56
the death I don’t think you can be dead very long and have the organs still work
46:03
you know what I’m saying if they lay in limbo and there’s no Oxygen or blood pump to them they die right and so uh
46:10
but no he was an organ donor yeah big proponent of it yes sir all right well
46:15
Hal as we wrap this thing up when a good little Lighter Side of things but um one
46:21
of the things that most people love about you is this crazy crazy laugh of
46:26
yours I don’t know we were trying to make me before you showed up we were talking about how this might have
46:32
happened to you but it was it was it a a consequence of smoking or just you know the sheer size you are but somebody told
46:39
me to say it sounds like an air compressor well it’s uh yeah
46:44
don’t bust down very hard yeah but it’s that what was the dog’s name on TV the character we
46:51
grew up with yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah you got it he’s like the one on the winch stick yeah yeah and I’ve had that
46:56
laugh my entire life actually you know uh I didn’t start smoking until I was like eight so you know it uh what kind
What kind of cigarettes do you smoke
47:03
of cigarettes just as a curiosity what kind of question is that I just get I I gotta do a visual for smoking
47:11
they were filtered yes Barbara did that did Winston did Merit Merit Ultra Lights
47:20
we’re looking for new sponsors now that’s why we’re asking oh is that right fortitude sponsored by Salem 100. it
47:26
tastes good like a cigarette should yeah you know that’s great uh yeah but no thank you
47:34
for asking me to come up here and do yeah thank you before we go yeah you’re getting a lot of heart jokes from your buddies I assume like where the heart
47:41
might have originated from I mean any of that stuff’s happening oh and I can’t repeat them you can no I can’t repeat
47:47
them but the guys at the radio station give me a hard time I reckon they do yeah they have been giving me some some
47:52
grief over it and which is great fun and uh yeah they you know especially money
47:58
cook Mighty cook I’m gonna pound him on the head so well we end the show some
48:05
more but you’re and this is I know this because you told us but you’re about to turn 70 in a few weeks right yes this is
48:10
amazing so we’re kind of here celebrate you and your heart and maybe your 70th birthday is upon the Horizon well
48:16
that’ll be great thank you that’d be great it’s a happy early birthday thank you and last question before you you dig
48:21
them up is the there seems to have surfaced or at least we know of its whereabouts there’s a photo of you on a
48:28
Toro I’m gonna tell you right now if Brian is watching this I’m gonna kill Ashley well you know where it came from
48:34
so is the police are listening you know who it is yeah I promised him that I would ask you about that he he held me
48:40
to do it so I made it promise I’ll do it why oh my gosh anyway go ahead it looks like
48:47
Jabba the Hutt sitting on a Toro mode I’ve never seen it I just know that it it’s he’s we’ve all had our days why
48:54
can’t people just let that go right let it go look at you now man look at you now I feel good okay so still slow but
49:00
go ahead best day of your life families you know we’ve talked through a lot of stuff you might know this answer yeah
49:06
yeah we might but um but best day best day best day of my life without anything with family with
49:12
no wife no no marriage or just the best day of your personal life yeah Best Day of my personal life
49:19
well there’s so many things I can say but I have to go back two months I think that’s got to be it I gotta go back home
49:25
months so you know when I got the heart transplant there’s been many great days
49:32
but this this day gave me another life a new life
49:38
because of organ donors and so I’ve got I’ve got to say that
49:43
you know yeah well how awesome it’s awesome to hear man yeah thank you so much great we’ve
49:50
loved you for a long time right back at you thanks for being a good human being that’s the best part about you you’re the best and I wish you what back on the
49:57
air and uh you know stay off those tours thank you guys thank you thank you all
50:02
thank you for watching fortitude that’s Hal harbuck talk to you next time
50:09
[Music] roxo media house