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Heart Transplant Recipient Celebrates 25th Birthday and Transplant Anniversary

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In the United States alone, there are more than 100,000 people on the waiting list for an organ transplant.

By Linda Ha

Hannah Grinnan celebrated her 25th birthday and 25th heart transplant anniversary this past April, which also marked National Donate Life Month. She has dedicated her life to educating others about the miracle of organ donation and the impact it can have on those in need.

Hannah was diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) while in the womb, a critical congenital birth defect that affects normal blood flow through the heart. Read more in ANN.

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Since her heart transplant, she treats every day like a birthday

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By Stefani Kopenec, American Heart Association News

Jen Lentini was a 13-year-old competitive baton twirler and lacrosse player in the Long Island town of Hicksville, New York, when the problems began.

The pain started in her stomach. It was so severe that she’d often sit through a couple of classes then call her parents from the nurse’s office, asking to go home. Her grades started to slip. She didn’t hang out as much with friends. Read the full story in American Heart Association News.

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A near-death cardiac event, a transplant and now, a mom again

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By UCHealth Writers
Chantelle Sharketti was just 40 years old when she suffered a spontaneous coronary aortic dissection, a medical emergency that often causes sudden death, while she was at home with her three young children. There were no warning signs that her heart was about to fail.

Within a few minutes of arriving at UCHealth Memorial North in Colorado Springs, Chantelle was sedated, intubated and taken to the heart catheterization lab, where a cardiologist placed stents to open her arteries. Read more in UCHealth Today.

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Arizona man who received first ‘heart in a box’ transplant celebrates 50th wedding anniversary

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LAKE HAVASU CITY, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) – A man from Lake Havasu City was saved by breakthrough technology used for the first time in Arizona, a ‘heart in a box.’ We first told you about the procedure in December. The ‘heart in a box’ is a game changer for transplants since it doesn’t rely on the donor to be ‘brain dead’ to recover the organ. The recipient Jeff Robinson said he feels like a new man after receiving the new heart. “I feel blessed to have the second chance,” said Robinson. “I’m able to walk farther.” Read or watch the story in Arizona’s Family here.

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Heart transplant recipient honors her donor ‘by living the best possible life I can’

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Even now, years later, Linda Jara’s voice resonates with notes that can only be fully appreciated by certain people – people like her who carry someone else’s heart.

Her tone is filled with gratitude. Awe. Contemplation. Thoughtfulness. Sorrow. Exuberance. The overwhelming feeling that someone else – a total stranger – made the ultimate sacrifice of allowing their own heart to beat in someone else’s chest. Read the full story from the American Heart Association.

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What are the Common Lab Tests That Patients Receive After Heart Transplant?

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As a heart transplant recipient, you’ll quickly find yourself being asked to take a laundry list of blood tests. While this can be inconvenient and frustrating, it’s also really important. Your doctor can’t tell what’s going on with your new heart by looking at you. Blood tests provide information on how well your heart is functioning and how your medications may be affecting your body. By reviewing the results, your physician may adjust medications, recommend changes to your diet or fluid intake, or recognize the need for additional examination.

But what are the specific tests and what is the purpose of each? With the help of Dr. Shelley Hall, Chief of Transplant Cardiology and Mechanical Support/Heart Failure at a large university medical center in the southern US, in this article we discuss:

– Complete blood count
– Comprehensive metabolic panel
– Infection testing
– Natriuretic peptide test
– Immunosuppressive drug levels
– Donor specific antibodies
– AlloMap® Heart
– AlloSure® Heart

Read more here.

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