This month, Mid-America Transplant is celebrating a decade of support through the Family House. To ease the burden of securing a place to live for families awaiting or recovering from transplantation, Mid-America Transplant launched its Family House as a home away from home 10 years ago.
For many patients facing a transplant journey, housing becomes an additional obstacle to face during an already challenging time. Patients and their families must often travel far from home for an unknown amount of time in order to be close to their transplant hospital.
“It can be an uncertain experience. I can't imagine how overwhelming that is,” said Julie, Transplant Programs Coordinator at Mid-America Transplant.
Not only does the Family House provide comfortable housing for people in the midst of a challenging time, but it also provides comfort in the form of other families who understand what other residents are going through. “When we opened, we knew that this relieved financial burdens for people and gave them a safe, comfortable, affordable place to stay. But I don't think we realized the community that it would build,” Julie added.
Read on for 10 heartwarming moments during the last decade at our beloved Family House!
Family House Through the Years: 10 Key Milestones
The original Family House logo on a sign located outside of the first Family House
December 2013: Family House opens
The Mid-America Transplant Family House opened with the goal of providing comfortable mid-to-long term housing for families who must relocate to St. Louis for life-saving transplant care. This low or no-cost option fills a gap for many families who are away from home and faced with transplant-related medical expenses.
December 4, 2013: First guest arrives at Family House
Steve and his family moved into the first of 10 fully furnished single-family apartments in December of 2013. He was in urgent need of an organ transplant and was able to stay close to his hospital in St. Louis.
December 24, 2013: First gathering at Family House
Steve got the call that every patient on the transplant waiting list longs for during the very first gathering at Family House! The event was a holiday luncheon, and just before the group sat down to eat, the phone rang with the life-changing news that a compatible organ had become available for Steve. A Christmas miracle indeed!
Presents and decorations sit atop a table at the first Family House gathering - a holiday luncheon
Jan. 7, 2014: First Family House resident returns home
A young child and his family were the first to return home after a successful heart transplant. The average length of stay for guests of the Family House is 100 days, although some patients are able to leave much sooner.
February 2016: First baby born to a Family House guest
February 2016 was an exciting milestone for Family House as a new baby joined the community! The newborn’s parents were staying at Family House while their older child received care related to an organ transplant. The baby was born right after his big brother received his transplant.
July 2017: 100th guest moves into Family House
Family House was an ideal accommodation for liver transplant recipient Kolleen, her husband, and their 12-year-old son. “We would probably be staying at a hotel if it weren’t for Family House,” Kolleen said. “This is so nice, so much better. It’s a home. You can prepare meals without going out for every lunch and supper. You have privacy and quiet time.”
July 2019: First Family House guest receives tissue transplant
An unborn baby whose mother was staying at the Family House received a successful in-utero tissue transplant in mid-2019. It was a groundbreaking procedure and a true first for Family House.
The second Family House, which opened in 2022
May 18, 2022: MAT opens a bigger Family House at a new location
This state-of-the-art, 34,000-square-foot facility located in St. Louis replaced the first Family House. 21 fully furnished, single-family apartments for transplant patients and their families, more than doubled the size of the previous location. Patients can cook meals, wash clothing, watch cable tv, connect to wi-fi, and most of all, connect with a community of families facing similar health challenges.
June 14, 2022: First guest moves into the new Family House location
Bobby and his wife Patricia traveled from Arkansas so that Bobby could receive a life-saving lung transplant. While in St. Louis, Bobby and Patricia stayed in a furnished apartment in the newly opened Family House facility.
Bonus milestone: Transplant Programs Coordinator Julie celebrates a decade with Family House!
When residents speak about their time at the Family House, they nearly always mention Julie, who has served as Program Coordinator since the first Family House opened 10 years ago.
“This was a huge blessing for us last year, when I received my liver transplant,” said Cindy, a recent resident. “It was our home away from home. Thank you, Julie, for all you do to make life easier during such a difficult time.”
Family House has proudly served nearly 400 families in its first 10 years, and plans to keep going for decades to come! Each Family House guest depends on the generous and life-altering donation of a stranger. Please consider registering for organ and tissue donation, and let love and healing be your final legacy.