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#SockIt2Paul

My name is Paul Cifford.

I am a 51-year-old husband, father of three, and higher education administrator who has lived with a serious heart condition since 2015, when I collapsed following the Oregon-Ohio State College Football National Championship game in Dallas, Tx.  I woke up in Baylor Hospital with a defibrillator and pacemaker. Because of my family history, I pursued genetic testing in 2017, which revealed a FLNC mutation that attacks the heart's pump function, putting me on an inevitable path toward transplant.

After ten months on the waiting list, I was admitted to Penn State Health's Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in May 2025 for advanced heart failure care, including a life support heart pump. Facing an indefinite hospital stay, I launched a lighthearted social media campaign asking friends to send me themed socks to feature daily on Instagram (@pjc4pennstate).  I called the project #SockIt2Paul.

What started as a simple way to stay connected became the #SockIt2Paul movement, generating an overwhelming outpouring of support from family, friends, colleagues, and complete strangers worldwide. After just twelve days in the hospital, I learned a donor heart was available. The transplant took place on my birthday, giving me the chance to witness my children's graduations, weddings, and grow old with my college sweetheart and wife of 27 years.  It will also allow me to continue my career in higher education, working to make it accessible to all. On June 3, 2025, I was released to go home and recover.

When I checked in at Penn State's Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, I asked myself, "How do I want to approach this journey?"  I focused on my mindset and decided that the only way to do it was the way I had always done things in my life: focus on what I could control and let go of what I couldn't.  My approach is to meet each day, each moment with POSITIVITY, OPTIMISM, and an ENTHUSIASM UNKNOWN TO MANKIND ( I learned this from Dick Vitale when I was 15 reading his book, thanks Coach).  And I will approach all of this with CURIOSITY, VULNERABILITY, KINDNESS AND GRATITUDE!

 

I hope you enjoy this site.

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Pre-surgery
So many socks
on my way to surgery
My new heart
My surgeon Dr. Mahesh.
Up and walking
Unbelievable support from my rock, Jenne.

Check out the socks on Instagram

The Gratitude Project

Our project, #SockIt2Paul, aims to document a heart transplant journey and emphasize the importance of gratitude during the healing process. Each pair of socks symbolizes a token of love and support.

Through showcasing these socks and the accompanying notes, we aim to inspire others with the healing power of gratitude and raise awareness about organ donation.

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Delivering Package

Paul Clifford

#SockIt2Paul

PO Box 30

Lemont, PA 16851

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SockIt2Paul

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