Issue link: https://tmcpulse.uberflip.com/i/339692
t m c » p u l s e | j u ly 2 0 1 4 10 Q | Tell us about Nora's Home. A | If you look at the Texas Medical Center as a con- glomerate, they have the largest transplant program in the country. Methodist isn't the largest, but if you put us all together, we are the largest in the country. And for the largest program to not have a place for trans- plant patients to stay is a real problem for all of these patients that come from all over the world. What's amazing about this place is the support that people give each other. And I knew that. I just kept telling people, let's just build it, and then you will see what I mean. And when I walk in Nora's Home, it is phenomenal. There are almost 900 transplants done here every year in the Texas Medical Center. That's a lot of transplants. So there is a huge need. And my idea is not only to give them a place to stay, but to create a transplant life center, so it is a place to come before and after you have had a transplant, to see other peo- ple, maybe to exercise, maybe learn how to cook for your new life, learn about your medications. You know, one of the hardest things people face after transplantation is finding a job. Because of the stigma, people think that you are sick. So these trans- plant recipients can form communities, to do things together. That's where I see this eventually needs to go. So that these people, after they have stayed together, worked together, lived through the trans- plant experience together, now they can help each other for the rest of their lives. And that is what I think N ora Gaber was a beautiful young girl with an incredible sense of compassion and kindness. She was known for her giving heart and desire to help those in need, especially those less fortunate than herself. Nora reached out to everyone she met and made friends easily. In school, she was honored with the "Best Friend Award" and would always ask her family to stop and help any person she saw on the street in need. In 1997, Nora's life was tragically cut short in an automobile accident. In recognition of her loving spirit, her parents, Osama and Lillian Gaber, donated her organs to help save the lives of other sick children. Inspired by their daughter's unique sense of kindness, Nora's parents created the Nora's Gift Foundation in 1998 as a way to carry on their daughter's legacy. Nora's Home serves to help, house and support trans- plantation patients and their families. Located near the Texas Medical Center, Nora's Home provides private bedrooms, a chapel, community room, education center and free shuttle service to the medical center. is so amazing about the transplant community, is that people understand each other. They know what they have to go through. Q | I would imagine that there are benefits to being able to share the same discussions, the same challenges, the same worries… A | I always think about it this way. You've had a really long day in the hospital. You've seen 20 doctors. Some say you are a little better. Some say you are a little worse. Some say you need to start this. Some say you need to stop this. And then you walk in here and all of these people say, 'Yes, I have had that happen. Don't worry about it.' 'Yeah, I know that doctor…He's great. He will take care of it.' So then you can tell your story and nobody says, 'What's that?' Everybody understands. So you have that strength to then, the next morning, go and face it. And I think that's what's so unique about this. It's about people being able to walk in here and just lay down and not be afraid that anyone is going to think 'Why are you telling me these stories?' People want to know your stories, they want to give you support. Q | What can we expect for the future of Nora's Home? A | This is an amazing place. We have enough space that I think we can make it bigger. I think we can create this life center and community center for the People might think of the individual transplant departments. But if you look at transplantation at the Texas Medical Center, it is now a much bigger endeavor. We have a unifying power. A B O U T N O R A G A B E R transplant patients, and it would be a place where they can come not when they are sick. Not when they are waiting. Not when they just left the hospital. But just come for sports, cooking, education and everything they need in one place. Eventually that's what I would like to see happen. People might think of the individual transplant departments. But if you look at transplantation at the Texas Medical Center, it is now a much bigger endeavor. We have a unifying power. The transplant business is growing, unfortunately. Because the diseases that cause organ failure are some of the fastest growing diseases, not just in this country but in the world. Diabetes, hypertension, liver failure, heart failure, pulmonary diseases, asthma, emphysema are some of the fastest growing diseases in the world. I see us going in a direction where we can talk prevention. You would talk to a transplant surgeon, like myself, asking what can we do for obesity, in terms of prevention? What can we do in terms of hepatitis? Asthma? Because that eventually makes our endeavor more than not treating people until they get into organ failure and then we give them a transplant. If we are to actually advance care, we should be on the front lines to prevent people from getting here. And only use this treatment for those diseases we are not able to stop. That's what I think about constantly. (Photos by Michael Stravato)