Enduring Hearts
OUR MISSION
The mission of Enduring Hearts is to fund research to increase the longevity of organ transplants and improve the quality of life for transplant recipients. Further, we give priority towards research that benefits pediatric transplant recipients and vital organs such as the heart. The results of the research projects we fund contribute to the knowledge about many important aspects of clinical and scientific transplantation, e.g. the mechanisms of long-term organ deterioration, the consequence of tissue injury, and the emerging opportunities to intervene in these processes.
BACKGROUND AND HISTORY OF ENDURING HEARTS
Enduring Hearts was founded in 2013 by the Gahan family in Marietta, GA. Their daughter Mya, who was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy at 15 months of age, underwent a successful heart transplant at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta after waiting six months for a matching donor organ. The relief of having a new heart was short-lived for the parents. They were informed that despite the full arsenal of immunosuppressant drugs in the anti-rejection therapy, their daughter would very likely need to go through another heart transplant again in her childhood. In addition, transplant recipients are subjected to frequent batteries of tests, often invasive, that impact their quality of life. This is quite a harsh thing to realize immediately after a loved one’s life has been prolonged with an organ transplant, but it is one that all parents of pediatric transplant recipients must face. The Gahan family established Enduring Hearts with the vision to raise funds and distribute grants to accredited researchers to remedy these myriad challenges facing transplant recipients.
In the last two years, Enduring Hearts has funded over $100,000 in grants to researchers conducting studies related to organ transplant longevity. In FY 2015, we are on track to make grants of about $350,000. We also recently obtained an endorsement from the International Pediatric Transplantation Association9, and announced a grant making alignment with the American Heart Association10. This alignment with the AHA will allow us to contribute $250,000 annually toward pertinent research studies. With a matching annual contribution from the American Heart Association, this effectively doubles the impact we can make on advancing research studies!
The mission of Enduring Hearts is to fund research to increase the longevity of organ transplants and improve the quality of life for transplant recipients. Further, we give priority towards research that benefits pediatric transplant recipients and vital organs such as the heart. The results of the research projects we fund contribute to the knowledge about many important aspects of clinical and scientific transplantation, e.g. the mechanisms of long-term organ deterioration, the consequence of tissue injury, and the emerging opportunities to intervene in these processes.
BACKGROUND AND HISTORY OF ENDURING HEARTS
Enduring Hearts was founded in 2013 by the Gahan family in Marietta, GA. Their daughter Mya, who was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy at 15 months of age, underwent a successful heart transplant at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta after waiting six months for a matching donor organ. The relief of having a new heart was short-lived for the parents. They were informed that despite the full arsenal of immunosuppressant drugs in the anti-rejection therapy, their daughter would very likely need to go through another heart transplant again in her childhood. In addition, transplant recipients are subjected to frequent batteries of tests, often invasive, that impact their quality of life. This is quite a harsh thing to realize immediately after a loved one’s life has been prolonged with an organ transplant, but it is one that all parents of pediatric transplant recipients must face. The Gahan family established Enduring Hearts with the vision to raise funds and distribute grants to accredited researchers to remedy these myriad challenges facing transplant recipients.
In the last two years, Enduring Hearts has funded over $100,000 in grants to researchers conducting studies related to organ transplant longevity. In FY 2015, we are on track to make grants of about $350,000. We also recently obtained an endorsement from the International Pediatric Transplantation Association9, and announced a grant making alignment with the American Heart Association10. This alignment with the AHA will allow us to contribute $250,000 annually toward pertinent research studies. With a matching annual contribution from the American Heart Association, this effectively doubles the impact we can make on advancing research studies!