Duke transplant patient outcomes consistently exceed national averages. A few of our patients share their stories:

• Andrew Desjardins, age 34, double lung-liver transplant
• Ervin Hester, age 72, living-donor kidney transplant
• Shasta Miller, age 31, liver transplant
• Heath Tuttle, age 2, heart transplant

Andrew Desjardins, age 34

Double lung-liver transplant, 2008

“The transplant completely changed my perspective on life, and I’m living in the moment like I never have. If I had to do it again, I’d definitely go to Duke.”

Born with cystic fibrosis, Andrew Desjardins says his symptoms were fairly mild until his mid-20s. When breathing became difficult, he came to Duke, where ten months later, he underwent a complex 14-hour double lung-liver transplant surgery.

Today Desjardins’ health is well managed with the minimum dosages of immunosuppression, antifungal, and antiviral drugs. Free of a chronic cough and able to breathe easily, he exercises daily, coaches a youth hockey team, and plays in a men’s hockey league -- and returns to Duke only twice a year for follow-up.

Ervin Hester, age 72

Living-donor kidney transplant, 2000

“From the doctors to the people who work in the trenches, the care at Duke is superior. I tell people, ‘You won’t find better care anywhere.’”

Ervin Hester had already suffered serious complications of type 2 diabetes when progressive kidney failure led his nephrologist to refer him to Duke, where he was prescribed dialysis and listed for a transplant.

One of Hester’s five children, his then-40-year-old daughter, turned out to be a perfect match, and in December 2000, she underwent a minimally invasive living-donor procedure to give her dad one of her kidneys.

“Those were frightening times, but the care at Duke was and still is superior,” says Hester, the Southeast’s first African American news anchor and a past president of the John Avery Boys & Girls Club of Durham. “I’ve been doing great.”

Shasta Miller, age 31

Liver transplant, 2008

“I definitely had a good experience at Duke. The people there take the time to tell you the facts, and they really work with you to get you through something like this.”

Shasta Miller didn’t know she had liver disease until a sudden onset of unrelenting abdominal pain led her family doctor to order liver-function tests. The tests indicated that her liver was failing rapidly, and she was diagnosed with autoimmune hepatitis.

Miller was referred to Duke, where complete liver failure caused her to slip into a coma days later. “The doctors told my family that I needed a liver transplant right away or I would die,” recalls Miller, who underwent a cadaveric transplant and says she now feels good. “Going to Duke saved my life.”

Heath Tuttle, age 2

Heart transplant, 2008

“Duke’s faculty and staff continue to care for us and our son and are personally invested in seeing him thrive.”

At nine months old, Heath Tuttle was diagnosed with restrictive cardiomyopathy. A month later, he came to Duke with shock and low heart rate and was placed on mechanical circulatory support to save his life. He received a heart transplant ten days later.

Despite his ordeal, Heath is now a healthy, active two-year-old. “It was a terrifying time, but the people at Duke have taken remarkable care of us,” says Chris Tuttle, Heath’s father. “Everyone listened, was patient, and helped us understand what was happening and what our options were.”