Heart Exchange Celebrates 25 Years (1986-2011)

Although they first came to St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital as individuals, the transplant recipients, who arrived on June 11th to celebrate the Heart Exchange’s 25th anniversary parted as family members. Heart Exchange support group, which provides both emotional and financial support to transplant recipients, played a big role in the beginning of “a new life” for each of them.

Encouraging optimism is how the group got started. Wanting to give back for the second chance at life they received, several transplant recipients formed a support group that made rounds at St. Luke’s talking to patients awaiting transplants.

The Heart Exchange a 501©(3) non-profit organization receives donations and $65,000-$85,000 (Average) each year, through its annual golf tournament—which takes place this year on September 12th at Kingwood Country Club. To date the group has raised $1,879,000 to assist with the following programs:

♥ Visiting, providing encouragement, education and emotional support.
♥ Promoting organ donor awareness throughout the greater Houston area.
♥ Subsidizing temporary housing and costly medication expenses
♥ Help fund life changing research & current medical education for heart disease.

Getting the word out about organ donation is so important because thousands of people are depending on a transplant to get back to a normal life. All of the recipients who were at the celebration are all living proof of the importance of organ donation and that it does work.
At the 25th anniversary event, the Heart Exchange thanked many people who have helped the organization through the years; including Igor D. Gregoric, MD who is the Associate Chief of Transplant Service and Director of Mechanical Circulatory Support for St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital. He is Associate Director of Cardiovascular Surgical Research and Director of Mechanical Circulatory Support at the Texas Heart Institute. The Heart Exchange Board of Directors presented Dr. Gregoric a $20,000 grant for research at the Texas Heart Institute.
Other guest speakers included Sam Holtzman, President and CEO of Life Gift and Sophia Perches, Outreach Coordinator, St. Luke’s Cooley Transplant Center who presented Violet Brabham, President of the Heart Exchange with a special recognition plaque for 25 years of service and dedication to St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital, THI, patients and nurses.
During the evening Mary Ann Brantley one of the Co-Founders and Nancy Aycock who started with the group shortly after Mary Ann provided trivia and drew door prizes. Did you know that the first fund raiser held by the Heart Exchange was a craft sale? Or, that when the Heart Exchange was first started; several of them put together a baseball team, and, people were amazed that heart-transplant patients were playing sports…we’ve come a long way since then. Our members are cruising, golfing, hiking and living life to the fullest. Grateful for the Heart Exchange Support Group and their second chance at life!

Written by: Rebecca Butler Holder