Earlier this month, we were asked to be involved in a private meeting that was pretty spectacular. A few years ago, our friend Shelly received a very rare 4 organ transplant (liver, pancreas, small intestine and stomach). Shelly met the mother of her incredible donor (Miranda) for the very first time here at RHTH in the hours before our Family Reunion event and while they wanted it to be a private moment, they asked us to join them. In a pretty incredible twist, Miranda's mom Denise had also stayed here at RHTH as a transplant caregiver for another family member...so this one definitely felt like a family moment for us personally. One of our families giving the gift of life to another one of our families! What an honor...what a moment...what a day we shall never forget!❤️

 

Recipient Shelly In Her Own Words: "This is the beauty of organ transplant. This is the joy of meeting the family of your donor for the first time. I cannot put into words how wonderful yesterday was. PLEASE register to be a donor & make sure your family knows it. RHTH has been a huge blessing to both of our families and could also use your support to expand and continue to help make beautiful memories like the ones we created yesterday."

 

Miranda's Mother Denise In Her Own Words: "A truly heartwarming experience to meet Shelly and see first-hand the true meaning of The Gift of Life through organ donation. Hard to put into words how much this means to me. My daughter Miranda will Forever be in my heart and will live on in others. #BeMoreLikeMiranda....DonateLife"

Our First Ever RHTH Reunion:  

Thanks For A Great Day!

We can't tell you how much our first ever Restoring Hope Transplant House Family Reunion meant to us.  It was wonderful to see so many transplant family friends take the time to join us that crisp, fall day at Capital Brewery.  So many great people who have become some of our very best friends and some truly miraculous stories of overcoming hardships following the miracle of transplantation to regain a high quality of life once again.   

 

With the success of our first RHTH Reunion, we hope to build this event into an annual gathering...one that we aim to make even bigger and better now that we have the foundation and organization established.  We appreciate all of the support from our gracious hosts at Capital Brewery, compassionate event sponsors shown here, our hard working volunteers that were amazing trying to help us navigate all the uncertainties of running a first time event, Channel 27 News in Madison for covering the event, the Main Street Big Band for the incredible show they put on and for all who attended.  Please know how much we appreciate you and how much this day meant to us!  See y'all next year!

It was a tremendous honor for our family and friends to be invited to the Gift of Life Transplant House Gala in Rochester, MN to pay our respects to Ed Pompeian who passed away this summer. Ed founded Gift of Life which was the first transplant house in the country. Our family spent months there while a loved one battled multiple myeloma at Mayo Clinic many years ago. That experience, that house and those people inspired us to bring the very first transplant house to the state of Wisconsin. It is a very special place for us, so making the trip to show our support, gratitude and love for Ed and his family was very important for us!

What a fun night we all had at the recent Middleton Wine Walk event in downtown Middleton.  The turnout was incredible with many great venues scattered all about The Good Neighbor City.  We cannot thank the city of Middleton enough for choosing RHTH as their charity of choice for this event and for all of the tremendous hosts as well as the 20+ volunteers who were kind enough to help us staff such a large event.  We all had such a blast...thanks for making it such a great night! 

6th Annual Steve Muenchow Golf Outing: Held by Live Love Donate Inc.

Lions In Need: Here To Help!

Sending all our love and thoughts to the Caroline Lions Club members involved in the horrific gas explosion up in Shawano County this past week and their families. This house is open to transplant families in need largely because of the compassionate support of Lions Clubs in that area, throughout the state of Wisconsin and beyond. We promise to do anything we possibly can to help get these families through this while they are in Madison!❤️

Join the Bone Marrow Registry

Our own family has been fighting leukemia for over a year now.  Brian has remained cancer free following his bone marrow transplant and we have been able to enjoy so many of life's precious moments with our 5 grandkids that we likely would not have been able to enjoy without the life-saving gift of a kind-hearted bone marrow donor from overseas.   

 

We encourage you all to learn more about joining the bone marrow registry to help give life to so many of our dear families in need.

Organ Donation Saves Lives - Become An Organ Donor Today!

2019 has been a record setting year for heart transplants at UW Hospital. As of a couple weeks ago, our guests informed us that they had performed 33 of them this year.  A significant increase from their previous best for heart transplants. 

These families have all seen the incredible benefits of heart transplants throughout the years including one who has gone an incredible 31 years on her transplanted heart!

Please take a moment to learn more about organ donation and how you can register to become an organ donor in your state.  A few moments of your time could one day save several lives.

You Can Help - Support RHTH & Transplant Families Today!

If this cause and the above faces, families and stories inspire and move you, we hope that you would please consider making a donation to Restoring Hope Transplant House.  Your generosity is so vitally important  as a non-profit that depends almost entirely upon financial contributions.  We simply cannot do this alone.

Please help support the transplant community by making a secure online donation to Restoring Hope Transplant House via PayPal today! 

We are also actively searching for major donors to help with our joint efforts with the Lions Clubs of Wisconsin and others to help push us over the top for our extensive plans to renovate and add on to the current house as well as monthly donors and fundraisers to help with operating expenses.  This will ensure that Restoring Hope Transplant House becomes a longtime fixture in both downtown Middleton and in the transplant community.  If you have any suggestions, connections or interest please contact Executive Director Cindy Herbst at 608-831-1726 or via email at [email protected].  Please help!