These are some of the faces and people for which we are most thankful this holiday season. The beautiful people here are just some of the transplant families who have called Restoring Hope Transplant House their home away from home recently while going through their life-changing transplant journeys.

Photos alone don't do their stories justice. I wish our neighbors, supporters and donors could spend a night gathered around the dining room table or spread about the living room in conversation with genuine care and support for one another. This is a very special place!

As I welcomed a new lady to the house last evening from De Pere I could sense a little of the normal anxieties of coming into an unknown environment with others you do not know. It all melted away when I introduced her to another transplant caregiver who is also from De Pere. After a lengthy conversation of sharing stories from their respective journeys, she turned to us and said, "Thank you so much for such a warm welcome!" before heading off to bed.

We are thankful to the new families who give us the chance to show much the supportive atmosphere at RHTH can help, grateful to old friends who return each year for visits and stays, so incredibly appreciative of all the supporters who so generously give of their time, talents, love and financial support and especially so overjoyed for the new transplant clinic our families have been blessed with as well as the amazing hospital staff that makes all these miracles possible. You all play such a huge role in making Restoring Hope such a wonderful place. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Thanksgiving Dinner For Current Guests

With a little help from our friends, we will once again be hosting a traditional Thanksgiving Dinner for our current RHTH guests on Thanksgiving Day. Away from home and loved-ones perhaps but never alone for the holidays!

New Pleasant T. Rowland Transplant Clinic Now Open at UW Health

The bell at the new Transplant Clinic has become a favorite photo opp spot for our families celebrating a transplant, transplant anniversary or to honor their donor families

This Thanksgiving, we give our heartfelt thanks to all of our living donor friends who have given the ultimate gift so that others may enjoy a second chance at a significantly higher quality of life. One of the first things you will notice at the new Transplant Clinic is the beautiful new donor wall and display board that allows you to pull up the names of donors you may know. We realize that the vast majority of our guests and organ donors are from well outside of our area, so it has become a fun new tradition to honor them with photos of their display whenever we stop to make hospital visits. Here are just a small sample of our living donor friends as we celebrate all that we are thankful for.

If you are an organ donor and don't have a chance to see your name on display, please reach out to Eric and he will be sure to stop by and capture pictures to send to you!

We also know how challenging the holidays can be for our donor families who have lost loved-ones. Our friend Shelly from Sturgeon Bay would not be here today without the desperate last minute 18 hour transplant that gave her a new liver, pancreas, stomach and intestines in 2016. That young lady who was Shelly's donor that life-saving February was a beautiful girl by the name of Miranda. In an incredible twist, we discovered years later that Miranda was the daughter of one of our previous Restoring Hope Transplant House guests.

In September of 2019, Shelly met Miranda's Mom Denise here at RHTH for the very first time. It was an incredible moment to know both families and to see the immediate love and lasting bond they shared knowing that Miranda's gift saved Shelly's life. On October 26h, we gathered at the new Transplant Clinic bell and celebrated what would have been Miranda's 34th birthday. Happy Thanksgiving to Miranda and all of our heroes who have given the greatest gifts imaginable in their passing. You are in our thoughts as we gather around the table this season!

Speaking Opportunities

It has been nice to ease back into safely and responsibly speaking once again this past month and sharing the stories of RHTH at various Lions Club gatherings in the Milwaukee and Green Bay areas which are our areas of greatest growth and most families. We appreciate the warm reception out on the road and the opportunity to welcome Lions International Director Diane and her husband all the way from South Carolina for a visit.

Thankful For Your Support

As a non-profit, none of the miracles, friendships and incredible stories we see each week would be possible without the compassion and generosity of our financial supporters. It was so encouraging to receive a major gift from a new foundation recently as well as contributions on all levels. May you take great pride in seeing the above faces knowing that our doors remain open to families in need because of people like you!

A couple of heartwarming thanksgiving stories from this week:

Our friend John from Cashton (above) is coming up on his 25 year heart transplant anniversary. Dan from Gays Mills is in his 17th year as a heart recipient. They stopped by this week to present RHTH with an incredibly generous donation of $7,900 courtesy of their Viroqua Transplant Support Group at VMH. What an awesome Thanksgiving blessing.

As John and his wife Jackie were pulling out of the driveway, their next stop was for lunch...with the donor family that blessed John with his heart almost 25 years ago!

Also this week, a member of the Pickett Lions Club emailed us out of the blue to say that they would like to once again donate $2,500 to RHTH this winter to help us cover the significant expense of heating this house throughout the chilly winter months ahead.

Pickett, Wisconsin is a small town of about 1,000 people about an hour and a half from our welcoming doors. Small town with a big heart...we are incredibly grateful for their kindness during this holiday season!

These two stories perfectly capture just how much our financial supporters mean to this house and our families and just how much it is appreciated by us all. If the faces, stories and our mission touch your hearts and you are in a position to do so, we hope that you would consider making a donation to help continue our work this holiday season!

Donate To RHTH - PayPal

Or Send By Mail To:

Restoring Hope Transplant House

7457 Terrace Avenue

Middleton, WI 53562

Many of you have gotten to know our House Manager Eric over the years as he has been here on a full-time basis from the start. RHTH is a labor of love for him as he has spent time with virtually every transplant family who has ever set foot in this house. For more frequent updates on Restoring Hope Transplant House, please follow all of the updates Eric makes on a regular basis to the RHTH Facebook page linked above. Thanks for following!