By the time Cathy’s daughter Correy was 21 years old, she was about to undergo her fourth open heart surgery. “My daughter was born 31 years ago with multiple defects,” Cathy said. “At eight months of age, she underwent her first surgery, and that’s when they actually knew the extent of her defect.”
At three years of age, Correy underwent her second open heart surgery, and was given a pacemaker during her third open heart surgery at the age of five. “She did really well until about the age of 21 when they replaced a pulmonary valve during her fourth open heart surgery.”
For a while, Correy’s symptoms improved enough that she was able to attend college, get married, work a part-time job and live a somewhat normal life. But, six years beyond her fourth open heart surgery, Correy developed additional complications and it was time to consider other alternatives. “Her heart deteriorated to the point where she was in serious failure,” Cathy said. “On July 28, we ended up at St. Louis Children’s Hospital where I talked to the doctors who knew her history. She was transferred to Barnes-Jewish Hospital and eventually put on the transplant list.”
It was during that same time Cathy’s husband, Mark, was also in heart failure from a similar genetic condition. Sadly, Mark died during surgery to prepare him for being put on the transplant list. While his daughter waited for her own life-saving gift, Mark became a donor to help those who needed it most. “We donated his corneas, tissues, everything we could,” Cathy said. “We are true believers in the whole organ donation mission and have been for many years.”
That mission soon saw the family on the recipient side of the process when Correy received a donor heart. “It’s been a blessing to us. She’s 31 and now has another chance at a normal life again,” she added.
Through the ups and downs of being there for both her daughter and her husband, Cathy says the one saving grace in all of it was being able to stay at the new Mid-America Transplant Family House, which opened in May of this year. The Family House is equipped with 21 fully furnished single-family apartments and provides patients and their family a place to stay during their transplant journey. Patients can cook meals, wash clothing, watch cable tv, connect to wifi, and most of all, connect with a community of families facing similar health challenges.
Kitchen and living room of an apartment in the new Family House
“Our entire experience with the Family House has been amazing,” Cathy said. “It’s a brand new facility, it’s safe, it truly is a ‘home away from home’ where you can actually get some sleep. To be only seven minutes away when my daughter was still in the hospital is a great peace of mind. This resource is truly amazing.”
Cathy says without the Family House it would have been nearly impossible to keep supporting her daughter because of the logistics and the financial burden. “We live an hour and a half away from the hospital. I wouldn’t have been able to drive back and forth just from a financial sense. When you deal with constant illness and appointments, financially you’re struggling enough as it is.”
Not to mention the toll a long-term illness takes on a family. “If the Family House wouldn’t have been an option, I don’t know what we would have done,” Cathy continued. “It would have been devastating to me and my family emotionally and physically.”
And given the amount of uncertainty that comes with illness, the Family House provides much-needed stability. “The amount of peace this gives us to be this close to the hospital and know that I can get there quickly if needed is invaluable. When you have a transplant, it’s a new way of life and a journey for the recipient. In my eyes, having the Family House here is what makes organ transplants successful. It’s saving my daughter’s life.”
With everything that Cathy’s family has endured, she will forever be a champion for not only the resources Mid-America Transplant provided but organ donation as a whole. “It was a comfort to me to know that part of my husband was going to live on,” she said. “Watching my daughter come back to life and thrive is amazing. She was dying. There was no cure for what she had. She now has an opportunity to do all the things that you want to see happen for your children. It’s the greatest gift anyone could give.”
Give the gift of life and register as an organ donor today
The rest of Correy’s life would have been gone without the gift of organ donation. By registering as an organ or tissue donor, you can bring hope to patients and families who are holding out for a miracle. Register to become an eye, organ and tissue donor today and let love and healing be your final legacy.