Guest Stories

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…

“Joel started having problems with his heart when he turned 50. It came out of nowhere – he had no high blood pressure, diabetes, or any other medical problems,” Angela, Joel’s caregiver and wife of 38 years says. Angela is also a doctor – a primary care physician in their hometown of Dayton – and…

Angela Montalvo was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease at the age of 15 after being rushed to the hospital by her mom with a fever of 106 degrees. They thought it was her appendix, but the medical team discovered it was Angela’s intestines about to rupture. She underwent the first of many surgeries — one that…

Michael and Elfie Finn-Mckenzie’s journey to a double lung transplant for Michael began in 2017 when they took a trip to Italy. Before they left, Michael had symptoms of what they both thought was a cold. Cleared by his doctor, they left for Europe as planned, but by their second day in Italy, Elfie was…

“2020 was rough,” Rodney Stepp says when recalling the start of his 4-year journey to a kidney transplant. “It started on March 14th.” That was the day that the mayor of his hometown of Indianapolis, Indiana shut down the city in response to COVID-19. Rodney and a group of performers known as Men In the…

While each transplant journey is unique, many patients and caregivers share similar experiences and challenges. Tina and Bruce Bradshaw’s journey to a new heart for Bruce is no exception. Like many of our guests, the Bradshaws traveled hours from their home in Ohio to Cleveland, hoping to receive a life-saving organ transplant. In Bruce’s case,…

“I could not see staying 8 or 12 weeks in a hotel. Transplant House is an extension of the world-class, premier care provided by the transplant centers in Cleveland.” – Teresa Imagine making plans with your loved one to follow up on your shared dreams and create plans for your lives together after retirement when…

When we first shared about Matthew Young’s journey in March of this year, he was unsure if he would even be listed for an intestinal transplant. 21-years-old, Matthew has been living with medical challenges since birth. His parents, Delinda and Steve, felt the helplessness and frustration that any parent would feel when faced with their…

After high school, Benjamin Armstead worked in the steel mill in Canton, Ohio. His wife, Lovie, remembers when he started to come home coughing. His primary care doctor told them Benjamin had sarcoidosis – a condition that can affect anyone, but is more common in African Americans – and prescribed prednisone and anti-inflammatory medication to…

Amber Daniel’s journey to becoming a living kidney donor began while streaming an episode of the Netflix series Dogs. She found herself inspired by the story of Michael Kaltenmark, the handler for Butler University’s bulldog mascot Trip. Michael needed a kidney transplant because of complications from Crohn’s disease. As family, friends, and complete strangers stepped…