Bruce Jones no longer needs the oxygen tanks he relied upon for so long. Since August of last year, his new lungs have given him a renewed life for which he and his wife and caregiver Paulette are grateful beyond words.  

“It is such an incredible gift, and we are grateful for it every day,” Paulette says. “The hope of getting evaluated and then being told ‘yes, we can help you’ is so surreal. I believe this is God’s answers to many, many prayers.”

Their appreciation is heartfelt and comes at a new stage in a journey that began, as it does for so many patients and caregivers, with a complicated mix of hope, uncertainty, and anxiety.  

When the Joneses first came to Cleveland from their home in Columbus, Ohio, they were preparing themselves for the possibility of a double-lung and heart transplant for Bruce. They were told this would mean a wait of 3-4 months to find suitable matches for both organs.  

As Bruce’s health worsened, his care team determined that a new set of lungs would provide Bruce with a good quality of life and the urgent intervention his condition called for. Bruce and Paulette arrived in Cleveland on August 15, 2025 and Bruce was transplanted by the end of the month. 

Paulette’s memories of those first few days are dominated by the sheer volume of information with which she and Bruce were confronted. It was overwhelming to try to absorb everything that their care team and social workers were telling them. She was also feeling anxious about staying in an unfamiliar city. Luckily, they had their daughter Ebony to help navigate housing near the hospital. 

“Ebony looked into where we could stay. She found the Transplant House website and said to me ‘This is where you need to be,’” Paulette recalls.  

Months later, Paulette says her daughter was absolutely right.  

“This place was exactly what I needed,” she says. “I met a lot of strong caregivers and patients.” 

Now back home in Columbus, Paulette and Bruce list the attributes that made such a difference during their stay: proximity to the hospital, easy access to the hospital shuttle (“The kindest drivers who take you back and forth safe and sound!”), accommodations that feel welcoming and home-like, and access to a larger community of fellow patients and caregivers. The monthly social hours, pizza nights, museum visits, weekly dinners and breakfasts, group trips to Mitchell’s for ice cream (“I became addicted to the banana cream pie and wildberry crumble!”) were essential for Paulette’s emotional well-being.  

“The support at Transplant House made all of this easier to bear,” Paulette says. “I asked God for peace through this journey and he gave me what I asked for. Transplant House of Cleveland and Cleveland Clinic Hospital gave us that peace and more.” 

The connections Paulette and Bruce made at Transplant House made them feel supported and less alone, but they also benefitted from supporting others on a similar journey. Paulette felt that the spirit of the House was found in the ways guests shared their journeys, their hopes, and in how they were there for fellow patients and caregivers during difficult outcomes. To have a community ready to listen without offering advice or judgement was a priceless gift.

This community of gentle care was especially important for Paulette when Bruce was in the hospital and being well-cared for by his team.  

“They took excellent care of me at the Cleveland Clinic,” Bruce says. “Knowing my wife was at the Transplant House, knowing she was safe, she was comfortable, was a help to me.” 

When Bruce was discharged to Transplant House, Paulette encouraged him to join her for dinners and breakfasts with their fellow guests. It took Bruce a little time to feel up to being around people following his surgery and initial recovery. Once he did Bruce became, like Paulette, an important part of the community built on shared experience, mutual care and support, and genuine friendship at the House.  

“I would say to my fellow new transplant families: come out of those apartments, go join your extended family for breakfast and dinner. Participate in the activities that are planned – it may help. Explore your surroundings and make new friends,” Paulette says. “You are in the right place.”