Creating Lasting Friendships

Lisa and Angela met in 2024 when they were both guests at the House.

At Transplant House of Cleveland we often say we are so much more than a place to stay — we're a community of care and support for patients and caregivers facing challenging medical circumstances.

During this week's community dinner, we had a surprise visit from a past guest, Angela Montalvo (you may remember her from a story we shared about her and her dad) who stopped by to visit Lisa and give her a set of lungs she crocheted herself!

Lisa has been at the House since June of 2024 waiting for a double lung transplant. The wait has been hard, but Lisa always has a smile on her face and a warm greeting for her fellow guests, staff, and volunteers — but she saved one of her biggest smiles for when she saw Angela and the lungs.

This is one of those moments that could only happen at a place like Transplant House where guests are invited from the moment they arrive to share in a community of others on a similar journey who understand the emotional highs and lows, the financial challenges, the homesickness, and the importance of hope.

Transplant House in the News

Fox 8's New Day Cleveland program featured Transplant House in three segments over three days earlier this month.

It was a month of media appearances for Transplant House in May! New Day Cleveland ran a three segment story about the House. Lisa's story ran alongside segments about the House's mission and the support services provided to families here.

We also appeared in Crain's Business Cleveland, who ran a story on our purchase of Building 1! To read the piece, visit our website.

Save the Date

8th Annual 5K Run/1 Mile Walk

Sunday, June 8th

NEW LOCATION this year: Rockefeller Park Lagoon

This family and dog-friendly event is open to runners of all ages and skill levels. The course winds through the Cleveland Cultural Gardens, offering a unique opportunity to experience Cleveland's cultural heart while helping us provide a welcoming and supportive community for organ transplant patients and their caregivers.

Gather your friends (whether they run in shoes or on paws!), become a champion for organ transplant families, and help us reach our goal of raising $45,000!

Transplant House 11th Birthday Open House

Thursday, July 17th at Transplant House of Cleveland

From 3-5 PM, come celebrate our 11th birthday with us! Learn about the history of our organization and about our vision for the years ahead.

Join us for:

Refreshments and a tour of Transplant House's campus
Opportunities to meet staff, volunteers, and other community members
Meet & Greet with Benson, the House butler 🐾

We can't wait to see you there!

Registration is Free!

A Second Dance at Life Gala

Sponsorship opportunities available!

We are excited to announce that the Second Dance at Life Gala is returning October 25, 2025! Join us at the Arielle LaSalle Theater in Cleveland for a night of celebration and fundraising for the Transplant House of Cleveland. Mark your calendars and stay tuned for more details. We can’t wait to see you there!

Learn More & View Photos from 2024's Gala

Happenings Around the House

Cleveland Clinic's Allogen Lab Donates Wish List Items and $1,100 in Raffle Proceeds

A big thank you to Mary Libby and her colleagues at Cleveland Clinic's Allogen Labs for a big delivery of household items and goodie bags for our guests. Mary hopes the goodies will let our guests know that there are people thinking about them as they navigate their transplant journey.

Mary also brought in a check for $1,100 — the proceeds of their annual Lab Week raffle. Over the years, Allogen Labs has raised more than $6,600 for Transplant House and donated countless goodie bags for families. Mary and her colleagues at Allogen Labs know the challenges of the transplant journey, as they perform compatibility testing of donor organs and recipient blood type pre-transplant, and recipient blood monitoring post-transplant. We are touched by the great care Allogen Labs' staff show our guest families both in and out of the hospital.

Building 1 Ribbon Cutting

We have 16 reasons to celebrate this month as we closed on a purchase of our 16-apartment rowhouse, solidifying our presence in the University Circle neighborhood. This incredible milestone was made possible by the generous support of an anonymous family trust and we are grateful to them for helping us turn this dream into a reality. We celebrated the occasion with a ribbon cutting by board members, hospital staff, volunteers, and many of our local friends and supporters. We are so excited for what is ahead for us here in the Circle!

Benson during one of his first shifts as a staff member.

Happy 8th Birthday, Benson!

We want to wish a very special member of our team a happy 8th birthday! Since he was seven weeks old, Benson has been greeting guests with a wagging tail and by bringing a favorite toy to share. (He's always been a snappy dresser, too!) He especially seems to know when our patients and caregivers need a little extra affection.

In the past eight years, he's made countless house calls to our apartments, visited with guests who are homesick or missing their own pets back home, played fetch in our community space or on the front lawn with families, and gone on walks with caregivers. He's a big – and fuzzy – reason why Transplant House feels like a home-away-from-home for those coming to Cleveland for life-saving medical care.

BigHearted Blooms Helps Us Celebrate Mother's Day

A big "Thank you!" to BigHearted Blooms for donating vibrant flowers this past weekend to our guests in honor of Mother's Day. Being away from home and from family is hard for patients and caregivers every day, but it can be especially difficult during holidays. Bright touches like a vase of flowers help our guests feel welcome, supported, and part of a larger community that cares for them and marks special occasions with them too!

More Happenings around the House

So far in 2025, Your Support Has Made Possible...

Ring that Bell!

One year ago on May 16, 2024, Tom received his double lung transplant and yesterday he and his wife and caregiver Barbara stopped by the House to ring the bell! Remembering the days leading up to Tom's transplant, Barbara shared that the transplant couldn't have come soon enough as his health had reached an especially critical stage.

Tom and Barbara are grateful for their donor whose "yes" saved Tom's life, for the excellent care he continues to receive from the Cleveland Clinic, and for the caring community they found while staying here at Transplant House. We are so happy we could celebrate this important milestone with them.

If you are not already a registered organ donor, please consider becoming one today.

Transplant Anniversaries

1/3/2013 - Jennifer Ackerman

1/10/2010 - Joanmarie Button

1/10/2020 - Derek Sleman

1/15/2020 - Johnathan Cain

1/21/2019 - Ken Vogelsong

1/21/2021 - Paul Bass

1/21/2021 - Doug Bass

1/22/2022 - Julio Zavala

1/27/2016 - Karen Scheidel

1/31/2017 - Donna Kovacs

2/7/2002 - Candice Monroe

2/7/2022 - Bruce Bradshaw

2/7/2022 - Tara Prouty

2/7/2022 - Noland Williams

2/17/2021 - Mark Wilkins

2/19/2017 - Melissa (Kelly) Hopewell

2/15/2023 - Karen Klos

3/1/2015 - Robert Truslow

3/5/2022 - Randy Cooke

3/8/2014 - Ron Shortridge

3/12/2021 - Jim Fortuna

3/18/2002 - Joyce Merkel

3/18/2019 - Michael Adams

3/28/2001 - Louis Seidensticker

3/31/2017 - John Hurd

4/2/2022 - Pam Fidler

4/3/2022 - Jane Mahoney

4/6/2021 - Brian Holmes

4/10/2021 - Bob Bruno

4/13/2015 - Matthew Miller

4/17/2022 - Alan Flanigan

4/18/2022 - Alan Flanigan

4/21/2019 - David Samons

4/22/2021 - Paul Priebe

5/4/2019 - Jim Krebs

5/10/2011 - Darrell Pauley

5/13/2021 - Lynn Berotti

5/14/2021 - Michael Heileman

5/17/2018 - Mark Wells

5/17/2021 - Elizabeth Turner

5/19/2021 - Vito Suppa

5/21/2021 - Angela Easter

5/22/2021 - Linda Uehlein

5/30/2017 - Julie Magnini

6/1/2001 - Paul Zaborowicz

6/4/2015 - Ferman Milster

6/7/2021 - Denny Felver

6/7/2021 - Aidan Yamashita

6/7/2021 - Denny Felver

6/7/2021 - Aidan Yamashita

6/10/2004 - Pat Summers

6/16/2021 - Keith Young

7/15/2017 - Bob Weller

7/16/2004 - Jennifer Smith

7/17/2021 - Chris Pemberton

7/18/2021 - Chris Pemberton

7/28/2020 - Tim Krebs

8/11/2022 - Richard Gibson

8/23/2011 - Jerry Wichtel

9/2023 - Mark Hall

9/2023 - Robbie Parks

9/2023 - Denny Fox

9/2/2024 - Jane Williams

9/4/2020 - Jack Goltz

9/10/2021 - Dennis Hall

9/16/2016 - Jim Bagent

9/17/2014 - Jane Williams

9/20/2020 - Kathryn Edmond

9/24/2021 - Gene McNamara

9/25/2020 - Steve Brill

9/26/2000 - Bob Weller

9/27/2011 - Michael Hall

9/27/2018 - Karen Obermayer

10/2/2019 - Tammy Blair

10/4/2001 - Alan Flanigan

10/6/2020 - Maria Szarpa

10/6/2015 - Tonya Blalock

10/8/2023 - Alan Maas

10/10/2019 - Darlene Forsythe

10/11/2023 - David Stay

10/17/2021 - Joe Buchanan

10/18/2021 - Dale Heltzel

10/19/2021 - Dale Heltzel

10/22/2014 - Josh Hahn

10/22/2014 - Hartley Hutchins

10/22/2021 - Tom Pitts

10/26/2021 - Chelsea Vining

10/27/2017 - Mike Komula

10/28/2022 - Jamie Phillips

10/31/2020 - Richard Sell

11/4/2019 - Vicki Posner

11/5/2019 - Gary Prince

11/11/2015 - Kati Kaup Gregory

11/14/2022 - Jim Dariano

11/17/2006 - Leonard Snell

11/19/2014 - Macy Szucs

11/19/2021 - Brandon Troyer

11/22/2020 - Tyler Carroll

11/23/2018 - Fran Peach

12/8/2019 - Ron Castina

12/8/2020 - Jeffrey Eckerd

12/2/2012 - Randy Oyaski

12/10/2014 - Danny Burns

12/10/2016 - John Fetters

12/14/2022 - Martin Riessen

12/18/2023 - Jayme Dean

12/21/2023 - Mark Hatch

We want to help celebrate transplant anniversaries!

To add an anniversary to this list please respond to this email.

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Benson speanding quality time with guests.

Thank you to all our 2025 5k Run 1 Mile Walk Sponsors!