{"id":1756,"date":"2023-02-16T14:54:57","date_gmt":"2023-02-16T19:54:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/adv\/strong-expansion-project\/?page_id=1756"},"modified":"2026-05-19T14:52:25","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T18:52:25","slug":"caring-buffalo-nurse-receives-new-heart-second-chance","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/adv\/strong-expansion-project\/caring-buffalo-nurse-receives-new-heart-second-chance\/","title":{"rendered":"Caring Buffalo nurse receives new heart, second chance"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Caring Buffalo nurse receives new heart, second chance<\/h1>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”50px” image_repeat=”no-repeat”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”grid” text_align=”left” css_animation=”” box_shadow_on_row=”no”][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”25px” image_repeat=”no-repeat”][vc_empty_space height=”25px” image_repeat=”no-repeat”][vc_raw_html]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[\/vc_raw_html][vc_empty_space height=”25px” image_repeat=”no-repeat”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

\u201cMy life was slowly slipping away\u201d<\/h3>\n
\n

\"DeniseFor nearly two decades, Buffalo nurse Denise Abbey devoted herself to caring for people with behavioral health challenges. An unexpected health crisis left her fighting for her life.<\/p>\n

In 2020, she suffered a tear in the lining of her coronary artery. It caused a heart attack and the combination led to heart failure. Abbey struggled to breathe and completing routine tasks, such as getting the mail or standing at the sink to wash dishes, was increasingly difficult.\u00a0 She had a hard time keeping up with her two sons, Caleb and Matthew, and nephew, Jonathan, she was raising.<\/p>\n

Reliance on family and friends was frustrating for the independent, single mother.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy life was slowly slipping away,\u201d Abbey said.<\/p>\n

Teamwork between cardiologists in Buffalo and Rochester was a lifesaver. The heart transplant team<\/a> at Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ Medicine Strong Memorial Hospital gave her a new heart\u2014the 300th since the program began in 2001.<\/p>\n

\n

A Long Decline<\/h3>\n

Abbey\u2019s declining heart required constant care and several hospitalizations. Specialists at Great Lakes Cardiovascular, Buffalo General Hospital, and Strong Memorial worked together to strengthen her heart. She endured quadruple bypass, mitral valve surgery, implantation of a pacemaker and balloon pump, and numerous medications to manage her heart function.<\/p>\n

But the damage was severe and effective therapies were dwindling.<\/p>\n

\u201cMs. Abbey was in bad shape. She was unable to do just about everything,\u201d said transplant cardiologist\u00a0James Youssef, MD<\/a>\u00a0He is part of a collaborative heart failure program with Kaleida\u2019s Buffalo General Hospital and Strong Memorial Hospital.<\/p>\n

\"Transplant

Transplant cardiologist James Youssef, MD<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cShe was essentially homebound because she was short of breath and extremely tired. We were working very hard to manage her symptoms and needed to take it to the next level.\u201d<\/p>\n

Youssef recommended care at Strong Memorial, which provides the latest therapies, including mechanical pumps and\u00a0heart transplantation<\/a>. He worked with transplant cardiologist\u00a0Sabu Thomas, MD, MSc<\/a>., and colleagues to determine the next steps.<\/p>\n

\u201cHer heart function was very poor and transplantation was the best option, and we added her to the waiting list for a new heart,\u201d Thomas said. Each year, approximately 3,000 heart transplants are performed across the country. \u201cShe was anxious to feel better again.\u201d<\/p>\n

She didn\u2019t know how long she\u2019d have to wait for a new heart. Abbey\u2019s parents provided steady support while she was hospitalized. They stayed at\u00a0Harbor House<\/a>, a nearby home-away-from-home for families of patients in need of transplants or critical care.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am grateful they were with me and so close during that difficult time,\u201d Abbey said.<\/p>\n

Her prayers, and those of the Second Baptist Church congregation, were answered just nine days later. A matching heart became available, and the former Erie County Medical Center nurse\u2019s second chance began.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t say enough about how wonderful it is right now,\u201d said Abbey, who returned to her Cheektowaga home on June 27. \u201cWhen it was tense and scary, my doctor talked with me about what\u2019s next, and there was so much to digest. But I kept saying \u2018whatever we have to do we\u2019ll do. The other option is death and I wasn\u2019t going to die.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Medical Milestone<\/h3>\n

Abbey, a graduate of Bennett High School, is the 300th\u00a0person to receive a new heart at Strong Memorial Hospital. The life-saving, five-hour surgery was performed by cardiac transplant surgeons\u00a0Igor Gosev, MD, PhD<\/a>, and\u00a0Katherine Wood, MD<\/a>, and anesthesiologist\u00a0Julie Wyrobek, MD.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a significant milestone for our patients who are living with new hearts, for Upstate New York and our heart team,\u201d said\u00a0Leway Chen, MD, MPH<\/a>, director and a founder of the\u00a0Advanced Heart Failure<\/a>\u00a0program. The\u00a0Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ Medicine<\/a>, is home to Upstate New York\u2019s only comprehensive heart failure and transplantation program.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a tremendous accomplishment for our\u00a0Cardiac Care<\/a>\u00a0team, which is supported by multidisciplinary staff from throughout the academic health system,\u201d said\u00a0Spencer Rosero, MD<\/a>, interim chief of Cardiology. \u201cThe Advanced Heart Failure team provides the highest quality care and technology for our patients, many of whom travel several hours for this specialized care.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gift of Time<\/h3>\n
\"Transplant

Transplant cardiologist Sabu Thomas, MD<\/p><\/div>\n

Organ transplantation offers patients valuable time. \u201cWhen patients share photos from family weddings, graduations, new babies and grandchildren, and dream vacations, we are honored to have contributed to those special moments,\u201d said\u00a0Himabindu Vidula, MD<\/a>, medical director of Heart Transplantation.<\/p>\n

Some of the 299 other heart recipients include parents and grandparents, schoolteachers, marathon runners, firefighters, carpenters, professional and weekend-warrior athletes, lawyers and students. In addition to the large scars on their chests, they share deep gratitude to their donors for the Gift of Life.<\/p>\n

\u201cOrgan donation saves lives and provides hope for our patients and their families,\u201d said Gosev, interim surgical director of Heart Transplantation. There are 30 people on the waiting list for a new heart at Strong. They could wait a few months to more than a year for a match.<\/p>\n

Cardiac Care Innovation<\/h3>\n

The Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ Medicine multidisciplinary Cardiac Care team has a long history of therapeutic and surgical therapy for hypertension, cholesterol, arrhythmia management, valve and aortic disorders, sarcoidosis and congenital disease, as well as cardiotoxicities from cancer therapy.<\/p>\n

In 2001, cardiologists and cardiac surgeons began providing mechanical heart pumps and heart transplantation, transforming heart failure care for the region. The pumps, known as\u00a0ventricular assist devices<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0(VADs), are implantable devices that supplement or replace heart function. Originally designed to keep patients alive and as healthy as possible while they wait for a new heart, they are now used as long-term therapy for patients who are not eligible for transplant, or choose not to wait for one.<\/p>\n

Strong Memorial has provided more than 800 pumps, and is one of the busiest centers in the nation. During the past two decades, surgeons worked closely with device makers to lead clinical studies of the evolving technology, providing cutting-edge devices to Rochester patients first.<\/p>\n

Cardiac surgeons were the first in the country to perform a less invasive technique for implanting the device that reduces complications and improves outcomes.<\/p>\n

The VAD team introduced a telemedicine program known as TeleVAD to bring care closer to home for patients who travel long distances. Based in Batavia and Hornell, VAD coordinators work in partnership satellite offices to provide routine follow-up care. \u201cThis is an innovation that expands access to specialized care for patients in rural areas,\u201d Vidula said.<\/p>\n

The heart program also offers a Cardiac Critical Care Transport Team composed of cardiac critical care nurses, respiratory therapists, perfusionists and physicians. The team uses a vehicle equipped with leading-edge technology to assist patients being rushed from outlying areas to the Medical Center for specialty care.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”50px” image_repeat=”no-repeat”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1677514669271{padding-top: 10px !important;padding-right: 25px !important;padding-bottom: 25px !important;padding-left: 25px !important;background-color: #e7e7e7 !important;}”]\u2014Story by Leslie White<\/strong>, July 11, 2022[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”75px” image_repeat=”no-repeat”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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