After getting his first heart transplant at age 12, Erik Compton focused everything on becoming a golf professional. Unfortunately transplants don’t last forever and last year, at age 27, he suffered a major heart attack while fly fishing. As Compton drove himself to the emergency room he called family and friends to say goodbye. Doctors were able to stabilize him, but his weakened heart would need to be replaced once again. On May 20, 2008, Erik received a second transplant, and now he is doing things he never thought possible, including becoming a father. We got to spend some time with him making images for Golf World.

The first morning of the shoot was the most crucial. Compton was getting a biopsy on his heart and we were to make images during the procedure. We made it through the Miami traffic rush, found the right building at Jackson Memorial Hospital (a campus roughly the size of Disney World) and talked our way onto the cardiac care floor only to be told by a nurse that we had to find “The Alamo” in order to get permission to do the shoot. “The Alamo?”

We had tried to convince Compton days before the shoot that hospital public relations personnel like some lead time. He assured us it wouldn’t be a problem since he basically lives there. Turns out not even Compton can trump the rules in the third largest hospital in the country. Somehow, in less than 15 minutes, Eric had found the Alamo, gained the sympathy of the one PR person on duty and found his way back. We donned hair nets and surgical masks and were ushered to the cardiac catheterization lab just as the doctor was taking the last of five rice-sized pieces of Compton’s heart for testing.

The rest of the shoot was much more low key. We photographed Compton and his beautiful bride at their Miami Beach condo, followed him around a golf course and finished out with some portraits of him fly-fishing in Biscayne Bay. We felt lucky to have met and spent some time with Erik Compton. To say he is inspiring is a gross understatement. He changes your life by showing you how he lives his.

Click here to read Jim Moriarty’s full story and see more of the images.

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