Heart transplant reunion is Friday, Feb. 10

More than 95 heart transplant recipients will reunite with Penn State Heart and Vascular Institute physicians, nurses and other medical staff at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center's annual Heart Transplant Reunion from 3 to 6 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10, in the hospital cafeteria.

Cardiac transplant recipients come from all over to attend this event. After 20 years with his first transplanted heart, Bruce Willey, a transplant patient from Martinsburg, was retransplanted this past October with a second heart. John Burns of Dover, a 2004 transplant patient, is so thankful for his new lease on life that he shares his unique sense of humor with the transplant team on each visit. Both Willey and Burns plan to attend this year's event. Also expected to attend is the longest-living heart transplant recipient, a Berks County resident, who just celebrated 21 years with his transplanted heart. Joining them will be recipients and their families who make this event part of an annual tradition.

Heart transplantation is a last resort for people with heart failure. To be considered for a heart transplant, a person's heart must be unresponsive to other forms of treatment and all other vital organs must be in excellent health. Today, 70 percent of recipients survive more than five years after their transplant surgery. In 2005, 14 heart transplants were performed at the medical center.

Penn State Heart and Vascular Institute enhances the delivery of quality care through the integration of all cardiac and vascular services to better meet the needs of patients. Penn State Hershey Medical Center was named by Solucient as one of the 100 top cardiovascular hospitals in America. Penn State Heart and Vascular Institute combines research, education and clinical care to create a national model for heart and vascular health. For more information, visit http://www.pennstateheartandvascular.com online.