A dream of local heart transplant patients and volunteers is coming true much earlier than expected thanks to a generous gift provided by a local nonprofit organization.
A home that will cater to transplant and critical care patients and their families who must travel from out of town for care at the University of Rochester Medical Center is now a reality. Harbor House of Rochester was announced today and will open later this summer.
The four-bedroom cape, built in 1948, is located in the Mt. Hope Neighborhood at 89 Rossiter Road, two short blocks from the Medical Center. It is approximately 1,900 square feet, currently with four bedrooms, two baths. It is being renovated to create four bedrooms with four private baths.
Volunteers associated with the Program in Heart Failure and Transplantation have for three years been raising money for a future home for adult patients and their families, similar to the Ronald McDonald House model that assists pediatric patients and their families. An annual dinner and auction, called "And the Beat Goes On," began the long-term process of raising funds for a hospitality house. The third event was held June 14.
The Jennifer Linscott Tietgen Family Foundation, a nonprofit based in Rochester, heard through news stories in 2007 about the efforts of heart transplants patients and their families, as well as staff of the Program in Heart Failure and Transplantation. The organization that for five years has been quietly providing funding for worthy causes in the Finger Lakes region was immediately struck by the significant need for a home such as Harbor House.
"The Jennifer Linscott Tietgen Family Foundation is grateful to have a role in creating a safe harbor for patients and their families as they face unplanned medical journeys," said Betsy Tietgen, foundation president. Ken and Betsy Tietgen and their family formed the JLT Family Foundation in 2002 to honor their daughter, Jennifer, who lost her life at age 27 to melanoma.
Those who began to dream about a hospitality house in 2006, including heart transplant recipient Tom Arcara and his wife, Chris, are ecstatic the project has become a reality so soon.