25 Years. 392 Hearts. So Many Stories
Each morning John Lefrois is “grateful to open my eyes and take a breath. It’s a daily reminder that I’m lucky to be alive.”
LeFrois and nearly 400 others have received new hearts, thanks to generous organ donors, at UR Medicine Strong Memorial Hospital. The Advanced Heart Failure team performed its first transplant on Feb. 7, 2001, and Saturday marks the 25th anniversary.
He was the second patient to receive a heart: it will be 25 years on Feb. 16. LeFrois is the program’s longest surviving heart transplant recipient.
The Gift of Life provided him precious time to proudly raise his children, walk his daughters down the aisle, and share his passion for fishing with his six grandchildren.
“It’s all about family and my time with them is so special,” said the Ontario County resident.
“It’s amazing to think about the many people we’ve touched. Our patients and their families have been given second chances to enjoy life,” said Leway Chen, MD, MPH, medical director of the Advanced Heart Failure Program.
“Each transplant happens because an individual or family decided to donate organs and help save lives. We are proud to partner with Finger Lakes Donor Recovery Network, which works tirelessly to support our efforts and successes.”
Strong Memorial is Upstate New York’s only site for heart transplantation, providing this comprehensive heart care close to home – eliminating the need to travel long distances.
“Patients put trust in their care teams to restore their health. We take great pride in helping them not only recover, but thrive,” said Peter Knight, MD, chief of Cardiac Surgery.
The nearly 400 recipients of new hearts share how they’re making the most of their second chances. Here are a few.
First Heart
David Beatson’s journey to transplantation was a textbook example of why the Cardiac Care team pushed for this program in Rochester.
His doctors exhausted all therapies, and transplantation was his only option. Beatson considered traveling to Cleveland Clinic for a heart transplant. But that meant he’d have to stay there indefinitely. That was a deal breaker.
“We couldn’t move to Cleveland,” his wife, Marianne, said. “Finances were tight even though I had a good job…and, of course, our family's all here.”
They chose to stay in Rochester, prepared to “face whatever was to come,” Mrs. Beatson said.
A short time later Strong’s program opened and Beatson’s doctors urged him to meet with the team. It was easy to put their trust in Chen and cardiac transplant surgeon H. Todd Massey, MD, to save his life, Mrs. Beatson said.
He was added to Strong’s heart transplant wait list, and 12 days later, a matching heart was available. This was it. Everything the team planned and practiced was in motion.
Massey traveled to retrieve the heart, to make sure it was a good heart. Indeed it was.
Beatson enjoyed nearly 10 years with his new heart, “which were valuable years for all of us,” his wife said. “We had so many good times, and it was very special when he got to hold his grandson. It was a highlight because he really looked forward to that moment.”
Powerful Tech
Gaetano “Gates” Orlando was another pioneer in local heart failure care. When his heart function tanked, his doctors implanted an artificial heart – a complex pump system – to provide life support until a donor heart became available.
Ten months later, on Feb. 4, 2013, the former Olympic hockey player received a new heart.
With a second chance, Orlando is living well. He took his family to Europe, and took a new scouting job role with the New York Islanders and hopes they’ll win the Stanley Cup. He treasures dancing with his daughter on her wedding day.
“I don’t look too far ahead, but I want to see Australia, and I’d like to have grandchildren someday,” Orlando said.
Family Focus
Tom Conroy was born with a serious congenital heart condition and despite surgeries and medication, his heart was failing while he was in college. He was anxious to finish his education, get a job and live on his own. Instead, he was waiting for another surgery – a heart transplant at Strong.
He received a new beginning, a new heart April 13, 2001.
Fast forward to today, Conroy and his wife, Melissa, are busy with their two sons’ school, sports and activities. Their lives are hectic, but they love it, he said.
“I don’t stop and think about how fortunate I am nearly often enough,” Conroy said. “My wife is an amazing person, and we are truly lucky to have fostered 11 kids and adopted our boys. I am blessed to be able to do this.”
Moments that Matter
Central New York’s Stephanie McLaughlin was airlifted to Strong after experiencing rapid heart failure in the fall of 2019. She worried about her four children – they were just 11, 7, 6 and 3 – and whether she’d make it back to them.
The holidays were approaching, and McLaughlin desperately wanted to celebrate with her family. With what some believe to be a bit of Christmas magic in her transplantation story, she made it home just in time.
“I’m thankful for every birthday, holiday, and milestone—but even more, I treasure the everyday moments: helping the kids get ready for school, watching a movie together, going to church, doing chores, playing games, or eating dinner. These are the moments that make life truly meaningful, and I never take them for granted,” McLaughin said.
Paying it Forward
Meteorologist Scott Hetsko knows he is lucky to be alive, and relishes time with his wife and three children, who were very young when he was gravely ill.
Given a second chance Sept. 16, 2015, he routinely wears a Donate Life pin on his lapel. And if anyone asks, he shares his story and encourages them to consider enrolling in the state’s organ donor registry.
“There’s so few people signed up and there’s a desperate need for organs,” Hetsko said. "If we all took that step to be willing to donate someday, then everybody that needs an organ might have a shot.”
Dual Organ Transplant
Ashley Cuylear was juggling her role as mom to a teenager with nursing school and dialysis to treat kidney failure – it was no wonder she was exhausted all the time. She kept moving forward, until her mother saw her struggle to climb a flight of stairs and insisted she get care immediately.
Doctors saw that her heart function was plummeting, in addition to her kidney. Cuylear needed mechanical support to survive until they could find a matching heart and kidney.
Three years ago, the cardiac and kidney transplant teams gave her a second chance, and she’s using it to help others.
Cuylear completed nursing school and recently joined UR Medicine’s Golisano Children’s Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit team, where she can give back.
Making a Love Match
When Buffalo’s Danny Pszczolkowski was waiting for a new heart at Strong Memorial Hospital, he didn’t expect to meet the love of his life.
Transplant recipient Esther FitzRandolph was hospitalized on the same unit. They met and their conversations came easily. There was definitely a spark.
After Pszczolkowski got a new heart on April 24, 2011, their friendship continued to grow, blossoming into love. And the couple chose to share their vows in the chapel at Strong Memorial, where it all started.
Organ Donation is Key to Life-Saving Care
The generosity of organ donors is essential to saving lives through transplantation. And the need is great.
In the U.S., there are more than 108,000 people waiting for organ transplants, including about more than 500 at Strong Memorial Hospital. Those figures far exceed the number of organs donated each year, according to the Finger Lakes Donor Recovery Network.
The shortage of organs means very sick patients must wait longer for life-saving surgeries. Sadly, 17 people die each day waiting for an organ to become available.
Anyone 16 and older can enroll in the New York State Donate Life Registry:
- online at passlifeon.org/;
- at the Department of Motor Vehicles;
- applying for health care benefits through the New York Health Exchange;
- registering to vote; or
- using UR Medicine’s MyChart patient portal.
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