To be the best, you need the best people, and at Texas Children’s our Transplant Services Team has proven year after year they reign supreme.
Texas Children’s is home to the largest and #1 ranked Pediatric Transplant Center in the United States. The hospital has great success in helping patients with cases other hospitals might consider untreatable, and it’s all thanks to the dedicated individuals who form our world-class Transplant Services team.
“We have an incredible team, and I’m so proud of what they do for our patients,” said Diana Harter, director of Nursing, Transplant Services and Palliative Care. “I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for my team knowing the sacrifices they make and the emotional toll this work takes, but they do it with such grace and humility. Thank you also to everyone across the system involved in the care of these patients. Transplant is a team sport and working alongside such talented experts in the field is a privilege.”
There are so many memorable patients and success stories that come through the transplant center. Everyone who had the pleasure of working with Ava came away with a special feeling. Ava was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis when she was just a few weeks old, but had remained healthy and up until last April was never hospitalized.
As a then 4-year-old, she suddenly developed pneumonia, and after a short time at a local hospital in New Orleans was transported to Texas Children’s for advanced therapy. Unfortunately, her health kept declining, and she remained in the PICU for 10 months. She was placed on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and put on the transplant list for lungs. After waiting for more than 200 days, she received her transplant in November 2022. It’s been a tough recovery, but thanks in large part to a dedicated team supporting her along the way, Ava is now thriving.
There are many people involved in the care of a patient, especially for those who spend an extended period of time with us. Nikki Beard, PICU/TICU child life specialist, was an integral member of Ava’s care team. Their time together involved a lot of activities from arts and crafts to playing “Dr. Ava,” as well as celebrating milestones and holidays.
“Ava is a strong little girl, and honestly, made my job so easy and fun,” said Nikki. “Most of my time with Ava was creating a sense of normalcy for her in the ICU and establishing myself as a supportive presence for both her and her family. Ava viewed me as a person who was there to play with and make the hospital fun, which was exactly my goal.”
In honor of Ava’s legacy, Nikki gifted her with a scrapbook of her PICU memories. It included letters from the staff who worked with Ava reflecting on their journey with her and their favorite memories. It also included the many photos Ava’s mom took of Ava with the staff.
“Watching Ava flip through the pages and get so excited to see all of the friends she had made over the last 10 months was such a fulfilling moment that I will never forget. When she is older, I hope this scrapbook will remind Ava how much she overcame, and how strong she truly is!”
Child Life Specialists in critical care often are there to provide emotional support for children and families on the worst days of their lives, but Nikki and her fellow specialists lean on each other for support and motivation to deliver the best care they can.
Nikki believes she has the best job in and world and is grateful for what she does. “Supporting kids and families on their most difficult days is such an honor and something that I do not take for granted. Witnessing the resiliency of my patients inspires me more than they will ever know, and I feel so honored to have a front-row seat to the miracles happening on a daily basis.”
Last year alone, Texas Children’s successfully performed 99 organ transplants, the highest volume for all pediatric centers across the United States for the sixth year in a row. According to the Organ Procurement & Transplantation Network (OPTN), in 2022, our heart, lung and liver transplant teams had the top pediatric volumes in the country with 29 hearts, 7 lungs and 35 liver transplants. Our kidney transplant program completed 29 transplants, finishing the year with the second highest pediatric kidney transplant volume in the nation. In addition to these exceptional volumes, our teams are dedicated to quality patient care and our programs lead the nation with exceptional outcomes as well.
Pediatric Transplant Week and Patient Experience Week are both celebrated this week. April is also Donate Life Month. We thank and honor all the dedicated team members in these departments who create a healthier future for children and women, every day. We are also so grateful to all the selfless organ donors and their families who chose to donate life during their darkest hour.