Team HeartBrothers Members Now Throughout New England “Transplant Region 1″
December 23, 2015 — (Framingham, Mass.) — The HeartBrothers Foundation has officially launched its “Team HeartBrothers” (THB) program in New England—the country’s organ transplantation “Region 1.” On November 19 and 20, the non-profit organization held a two-day training in Marlborough, Mass., for 13 heart transplant survivors and one DT-LVAD heart implant survivor, fully equipping them to be out in the field and supporting other new heart failure patients on their journey to recovery.
The HeartBrothers Foundation is among only a few existing heart failure peer-to-peer organizations in the U.S., and the only one to offer assistance to heart failure patients from a uniquely suited group of volunteers—Team HeartBrothers—all of whom have first-hand experience of the long ordeal of heart failure through either transplantation or implantation of a destination therapy (LVAD) left ventricular assist device.
“It was very moving to see so many fellow survivors gathered in one place—wanting to give back,” states Bob Romer, co-founder of HeartBrothers. “Many people who are post-transplant just want to walk away and put the nightmare behind them. But not these people. It’s heartwarming.”
Team HeartBrothers has already begun visiting patients, patients’ loved ones and clinicians throughout the New England region. Team members range in age from 24 to 74 years old and cover a geographic footprint that stretches west to east from Syracuse, N.Y., to Cape Cod, Mass., and north to the Canadian border and south to Rhode Island.
“By the end of first quarter 2016, we’ll have even more Team HeartBrothers density throughout the region,” adds Pat Sullivan, co-founder of HeartBrothers, citing support from CareDx, Inc., a San Francisco-based molecular diagnostics company that also believes in the power of peer-to-peer experience for healing transplant patients. “We are incredibly grateful to CareDx for its generosity and look forward to expanding our efforts.”
According to Peter Maag, PhD, president and CEO of CareDx, Inc., “The Heart Brothers Foundation is a great partner for CareDx. Their efforts at a grassroots level make a profound difference in many patients’ lives. We are proud to support their efforts.”
About The HeartBrothers Foundation The HeartBrothers Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit foundation dedicated to helping patients and families navigate the complicated world of Heart Failure (HF), Ventricular Assist Devices (VAD’s) and Heart Transplantation. Its mission is to fill financial gaps for patients by offering essential support through medical insurance assistance programs, informative stress-coping resources and connections to the global heart failure community. The HeartBrothers Foundation was founded in 2014 by heart transplant survivors Bob Romer and Pat Sullivan, who together have more than three decades of experience dealing with the often-fatal condition of heart failure. For more information, visit www.heartbrothers.org.
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