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�����Թ� Medicine celebrates a quarter century as Upstate NY’s only heart failure and transplant center

Each morning John Lefrois is “grateful to open my eyes and take a breath. It’s a daily reminder that I’m lucky to be alive.”

LeFrois and nearly 400 others have received new hearts, thanks to generous organ donors, at �����Թ� Medicine . The team performed its first transplant on Feb. 7, 2001, and Saturday marks the 25th anniversary.

He was the second patient to receive a heart: it will be 25 years on Feb. 16. LeFrois is the program’s longest surviving heart transplant recipient.

The Gift of Life provided him precious time to proudly raise his children, walk his daughters down the aisle, and share his passion for fishing with his six grandchildren.

“It’s all about family and my time with them is so special,” said the Ontario County resident.

“It’s amazing to think about the many people we’ve touched. Our patients and their families have been given second chances to enjoy life,” said , medical director of the .

“Each transplant happens because an individual or family decided to donate organs and help save lives. We are proud to partner with , which works tirelessly to support our efforts and successes.”

Strong Memorial is Upstate New York’s only site for heart transplantation, providing this comprehensive heart care close to home – eliminating the need to travel long distances.

“Patients put trust in their care teams to restore their health. We take great pride in helping them not only recover, but thrive,” said , chief of .

The nearly 400 recipients of new hearts share how they’re making the most of their second chances. Here are a few.

First Heart

David Beatson’s journey to transplantation was a textbook example of why the team pushed for this program in Rochester.

His doctors exhausted all therapies, and transplantation was his only option. Beatson considered traveling to Cleveland Clinic for a heart transplant. But that meant he’d have to stay there indefinitely. That was a deal breaker.

“We couldn’t move to Cleveland,” his wife, Marianne, said. “Finances were tight even though I had a good job…and, of course, our family’s all here.”

They chose to stay in Rochester, prepared to “face whatever was to come,” Mrs. Beatson said.

A short time later Strong’s program opened and Beatson’s doctors urged him to meet with the team. It was easy to put their trust in Chen and cardiac transplant surgeon H. Todd Massey, MD, to save his life, Mrs. Beatson said.

He was added to Strong’s heart transplant wait list, and 12 days later, a matching heart was available. This was it. Everything the team planned and practiced was in motion.

Massey traveled to retrieve the heart, to make sure it was a good heart. Indeed it was.

Beatson enjoyed nearly 10 years with his new heart, “which were valuable years for all of us,” his wife said. “We had so many good times, and it was very special when he got to hold his grandson. It was a highlight because he really looked forward to that moment.”

Powerful Tech

Gaetano “Gates” Orlando was another pioneer in local heart failure care. When his heart function tanked, his doctors implanted an – a complex pump system – to provide life support until a donor heart became available.

Ten months later, on Feb. 4, 2013, the former Olympic hockey player received a new heart.

With a second chance, Orlando is living well. He took his family to Europe, and took a new scouting job role with the New York Islanders and hopes they’ll win the Stanley Cup. He treasures dancing with his daughter on her wedding day.

“I don’t look too far ahead, but I want to see Australia, and I’d like to have grandchildren someday,” Orlando said.

Family Focus

Tom Conroy was born with a serious congenital heart condition and despite surgeries and medication, his heart was failing while he was in college. He was anxious to finish his education, get a job and live on his own. Instead, he was waiting for another surgery – a heart transplant at Strong.

He received a new beginning, a new heart April 13, 2001.

Fast forward to today, Conroy and his wife, Melissa, are busy with their two sons’ school, sports and activities. Their lives are hectic, but they love it, he said.

“I don’t stop and think about how fortunate I am nearly often enough,” Conroy said. “My wife is an amazing person, and we are truly lucky to have fostered 11 kids and adopted our boys. I am blessed to be able to do this.”

Moments that Matter

Central New York’s Stephanie McLaughlin was airlifted to Strong after experiencing rapid heart failure in the fall of 2019. She worried about her four children – they were just 11, 7, 6 and 3 – and whether she’d make it back to them.
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The holidays were approaching, and McLaughlin desperately wanted to celebrate with her family. With what some believe to be a bit of , she made it home just in time.

“I’m thankful for every birthday, holiday, and milestone—but even more, I treasure the everyday moments: helping the kids get ready for school, watching a movie together, going to church, doing chores, playing games, or eating dinner. These are the moments that make life truly meaningful, and I never take them for granted,” McLaughin said.

Paying it Forward

Meteorologist Scott Hetsko knows he is lucky to be alive, and relishes time with his wife and three children, who were very young when he was gravely ill.

Given Sept. 16, 2015, he routinely wears a Donate Life pin on his lapel. And if anyone asks, he shares his story and encourages them to consider enrolling in the state’s .

“There’s so few people signed up and there’s a desperate need for organs,” Hetsko said. “If we all took that step to be willing to donate someday, then everybody that needs an organ might have a shot.”

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Dual Organ Transplant

Ashley Cuylear was juggling her role as mom to a teenager with nursing school and dialysis to treat kidney failure – it was no wonder she was exhausted all the time. She kept moving forward, until her mother saw her struggle to climb a flight of stairs and insisted she get care immediately.

Doctors saw that her heart function was plummeting, in addition to her kidney. Cuylear needed mechanical support to survive until they could find a matching heart and kidney.

Three years ago, the cardiac and kidney transplant teams , and she’s using it to help others.

Cuylear completed nursing school and recently joined �����Թ� Medicine’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit team, where she can give back.

Making a Love Match

When Buffalo’s Danny Pszczolkowski was waiting for a new heart at Strong Memorial Hospital, he didn’t expect to .

Transplant recipient Esther FitzRandolph was hospitalized on the same unit. They met and their conversations came easily. There was definitely a spark.

After Pszczolkowski got a new heart on April 24, 2011, their friendship continued to grow, blossoming into love. And the couple chose to share their vows in the chapel at Strong Memorial, where it all started.

Caring Buffalo nurse receives new heart, second chance

Buffalo nurse Denise Abbey, who spent nearly 20 years caring for behavioral health patients, suffered a coronary artery tear in 2020 that triggered a heart attack and heart failure. Despite multiple surgeries, a pacemaker, and a balloon pump, her condition kept declining, leaving her homebound and struggling to care for her sons and nephew.

Cardiologists in Buffalo and Rochester collaborated to get her listed for a transplant at Strong Memorial Hospital. Just nine days later, a matching heart was found, and Abbey underwent a five-hour transplant surgery in June 2022—becoming the 300th patient to receive a new heart through Strong’s program, which has performed transplants since 2001. She returned home to Cheektowaga later that month, grateful for her second chance.