The Dragonfly Transplant Fund has been fortunate to collaborate with the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics’ Stead Family Children’s Hospital on a new gift to serve pediatric transplant patients in Iowa.
On Wednesday, November 15th, the Dragonfly Transplant Fund co-founder, Ed Brown, and Dragonfly Transplant Fund supporters, Gina Schmitt and Troy Reineke, visited Stead Family Children’s Hospital. They were hosted by Medical Director of Pediatric Kidney Transplant, Lyndsay Harshman, Pediatric Transplant Nurse Coordinator, Melissa Thompson, and Pediatric Medical Assistant, Abby Henderson. They were provided with a tour of the hospital and learned more about pediatric transplant operations. During the visit, our volunteers presented the Dragonfly Transplant Fund’s newest contribution to patients. Moving forward, all pediatric transplant patients will receive a scale to measure weight as they move through the transplant process at home.
On Wednesday, November 15th, the Dragonfly Transplant Fund co-founder, Ed Brown, and Dragonfly Transplant Fund supporters, Gina Schmitt and Troy Reineke, visited Stead Family Children’s Hospital. They were hosted by Medical Director of Pediatric Kidney Transplant, Lyndsay Harshman, Pediatric Transplant Nurse Coordinator, Melissa Thompson, and Pediatric Medical Assistant, Abby Henderson. They were provided with a tour of the hospital and learned more about pediatric transplant operations. During the visit, our volunteers presented the Dragonfly Transplant Fund’s newest contribution to patients. Moving forward, all pediatric transplant patients will receive a scale to measure weight as they move through the transplant process at home.
Lyndsay Harshman and her team shared the following:
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“We are so appreciative of the Dragonfly Transplant Fund’s donation to our pediatric kidney transplant program! We ask our pediatric patients to closely track fluid intake and weight in the post transplant period to ensure they are receiving adequate fluid and nutrition. Many of our families do not have a working scale at home. This generous gift from the Dragonfly Transplant Fund will further support our pediatric patients and families on their road to a healthy childhood.”
 | These scales are donated by the Dragonfly Transplant Fund, thanks to a special friend of the fund who we lost in 2023. Carol Cutler of Cedar Rapids has been a dedicated champion and dear friend of the Dragonfly Transplant Fund since before its inception. Carol passed away suddenly in August 2023. Her family set up a memorial fund in her honor to be directed to the Dragonfly Transplant Fund with the intention of continuing her support of the Dragonfly Transplant Fund for many years to come. Carol’s love and legacy will live on through serving pediatric transplant patients, thanks to her special gift. |
Thank you to the faculty and staff of Stead Family Children’s Hospital and the family of Carol Cutler for making this gift possible!
“Being a new supporter of the Dragonfly Transplant Fund, I have learned a lot about how transplants work and how it normally affects two families and how important it is to be able to navigate in both of those worlds. Adding pediatrics into that mix is truly remarkable and it needs all the attention possible driven to it. I am proud to be part of any small bit of that needed attention!” |  |
To learn more about how to get involved with the Dragonfly Transplant Fund, please contact our team at dragonflytransplantfund@gmail.com.
