Randy Travis Gets an LVAD

 Recently, country music star Randy Travis was hospitalized with viral cardiomyopathy. Unlike reported previously, he did not undergo heart surgery. Randy received the Impella pump, a left ventricular assist device-LVAD. The Impella comes in several models, all of which are inserted percutaneously or minimally invasively through various arteries into the left ventricle.

The device is temporary, however, and is meant to allow the heart to rest and recover.

Theoretically, if the heart continues to worsen, the next step would be to receive a larger LV pump, which can be permanent or temporary, serving as a bridge to heart transplantation.

Viral cardiomyopathy is an episode of heart failure caused by the same viruses responsible for upper respiratory tract infection, gastrointestinal distress, and other common conditions.

About 40% of people with viral cardiomyopathy will experience spontaneous recovery," said Clyde Yancy, MD, chief of cardiology at Northwestern University in Chicago and a former president of the American Heart Association.

The rest of the July 10^th article can be found at this address Randy Travis LVAD

What's new in 2013

Hi everyone,
your faithful blog-master asking for any news or plans for the new year. Even past stories from 2012 would be of merit. Please send information for posting, including pictures, to transplant_foundation@yahoo.com.

Dash for Donation 2011

I have been a part of the Transplant Buddies group since 2007 but this is the first year I have been able to join in the fun that is the annual Dash for Donation. This is something I would recommend for anyone who would like to get a little exercise, fresh air and a great brunch. The other benefit is the money goes to help the ongoing campaign to raise awareness about organ donation. Here are some pics of the crew of others from our team. I missed getting pictures of many who were there. I think we should make it a goal to have our own team next year. Transplant Buddies represent!

Transportation Instructions for Filming

Attention Group Members and Teachers


We are moving our Education/ Support group to the Research Administration Building also known as the RAB building. This will be the new location for the next 13 groups beginning May 5, 2011. It will be for the purpose of filming and once that project is completed we will move back to our regular room. It is close to the Hospital but there is no parking near. You will need to valet park and catch the yellow campus van. It stops directly across from the hospital at 8:40 AM and 9AM. The valet parking staff will be happy to show you the stop. Thanks to the kindness of transportation services they will also make a separate trip to pick us up at 11:30AM.

This room is a lighter room with better acoustics and we were fortunate to get it. The door will close at 9:40 AM and the door will be marked “Filming in progress”. We will try to have some bottled water handy. This is very exciting as we hope to have the May filming on the blog at the end of May and add the new ones each month. Editing permitting.



See you in the movies!!!!! Susan

One Down, 14 To GO!

About 4 years ago, a patient waiting for a heart transplant decided to get into the Transplant Buddy process to see what it was all about. After attending the series and enjoying the education and fellowship a blog was born. The education sessions and other events have been posted to be available to those who could not attend. As time passed , it became obvious that the value of being "in the room" compared to the education materials alone. He uttered quietly "we should record these sessions and put them on the web." That has been set aside for a while as many other great developments have taken place but secretly, that utterance has put many wheels in motion. Susan has done the biggest part by working to get a budget and a service provider in place. We all know that nothing happens without a budget and Susan, after speaking with the tech support provider on campus and getting an estimate of what would be required, went to bat. Her first attempt put us a little tight with any edits or eventualities potential. Back to the well she went and returned with 2 and 1/2 times the original budget thanx to Christine Miller and the transplant department. This puts us in a very good position to produce a great series of presentations. Release forms have been passed and signed over the last 3 weeks as we inched ever closer to the big day. Last week, on 3/3/11, the recording began. To be there in Salt Lake City with that room full of patients, care-givers and educators was the realization of a dream. Lots of work ahead as we have many sessions to get recorded but having that first one in the can is awesome. Over the next 6 to 10 months, we will work to get the rest of the sessions recorded and then posted so they can be accessed by anyone in the world. This is the milestone I have anticipated for 3 years and I KNOW it is just the beginning.

Be good to each other,

 Tin Man

Friends of the Foundation

Hi all,
 You may have noticed that there is a new section down the right side of the blog. That is the Friends of the Foundation section. I created this to support those who have made donations to the help raise funds for the Transplant Buddy Foundation. The group so far is a collection of very talented and generous artisans who donated their works. Keep an eye out for new members as the friend list grows!!!!
 Be good to each other,
      Tin Man

Oh WHat a Day

Not only does prince William get engaged, but the video camera came today. Now we can proceed with the plan to get our sessions on the web. WOOHOO!!!!
   Tin Man