Thursday, December 22, 2011

Successful Auction in Honor of NFT Patient


Volunteers for NFT patient Billy Masterson recently held a very successful auction to raise funds for his transplant-related expenses!


For three days leading up to the event, they posted photos of the auction items on Facebook, allowing people to enter early bids before the big day. More than 60 items were donated, including yummy gift baskets, sports tickets, comedy show tickets, Christmas decorations and jewelry.

Even with inclement weather, the hard work of Billy's dedicated volunteers paid off, as the event raised more than $2,600!

Friday, December 9, 2011

December Patient of the Month: Steve Collins


About 10 years ago, Steve Collins began battling what he thought was simply a cold and congestion. After several rounds of antibiotics and no improvement, he began experiencing shortness of breath and drove himself to the ER on Christmas Eve. He was shocked to learn he was suffering from congestive heart failure, which has caused his mitral valve to leak. Over the years, his health worsened until doctors said a heart transplant was critical to his survival.

Thankfully, after being on the transplant waiting list for just three months, he received his lifesaving transplant on November 29, 2011! Sadly, a complication during surgery damaged his spinal cord and has left him unable to walk. He will most likely endure a year of physical therapy before doctors can know how long-term the damage is.

Despite these challenges, Steve has remained optimistic and never lost his sense of humor. He loves making people laugh, and tries to brighten others' days even when his are dark. He is a proud father of two adult daughters and grandfather of two. His wife, Vicki, has been by his side every step of the way; he is thankful for the love and support from her and her daughter, who is away at college, and their family and friends. Steve, a proud LSU graduate, loves playing the guitar, songwriting and going to concerts and movies, but lately he only has the energy to play the guitar. He looks forward to resuming his active lifestyle and visiting with his newest grandbaby, who was born this fall.

To read more about Steve or to make a donation in his honor, visit the NFT website.

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Unusual Heart Transplant Saves Little Girl's Life


Over a seven year period of time, more than 500 children in need of a heart transplant didn't get one in time. But one little girl's successful surgery may be changing the rules, and in the process, saving lives.

Four-year-old Kallie Finn and her daddy, Mitch, are two of a kind.

"We're real close anyway, she's always been my little buddy," said Mitch Finn.

When he was 5, Mitch Finn had to have a heart transplant. This year, he learned Kallie's heart was failing, and she'd need one, too.

A ventricular assist device kept Kallie alive for weeks, but the clock was ticking.

"Essentially three times as many kids die on a waiting list compared to adults," said Dr. Pirooz Eghtesady, chief of pediatric cardiothoracic surgery at St. Louis Children's Hospital and co-director of the Heart Center.

So Kallie's cardiac surgeon made a surprising call. He decided to give her a donor heart other centers had rejected - a heart with a hole in it.

Holes in hearts are congenital defects that change the normal flow of blood through the heart. Treatment for the condition has greatly improved over the last few decades and kids who have it can survive to adulthood.

"It was hard for me to justify throwing away really a good organ for a child who needed it," said Dr. Eghtesady.

Kallie's surgery went perfectly.

"I closed the hole in the heart and then I did the transplant," said Dr. Eghtesady.

As she gets ready to head home, Kallie's doctor hopes her story opens a door.

"There are probably a lot of hearts that can be used that perhaps are not used, and perhaps this is an opportunity to extend it cautiously to other potential organs that may be available," said Dr. Eghtesady.

Kallie's doctors say given another similar situation, they wouldn't hesitate to use a heart with a hole, as long as it was otherwise healthy. They're hoping other doctors will follow suit.

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