Non-profit ‘Amy’s House’ helps patients afford life-saving transplant surgeries in Temple

TEMPLE — A non-gain in Temple is opening the door to help organ transplant recipients find the money for the existence-conserving surgical procedures they need. Amy’s Residence opened its doors in November 2020, considering that then they have helped serve almost 50 families.

The nonprofit gives housing for transplant recipients, live donors, and spouse and children members. The household was developed around Baylor Scott & White – Temple to serve patients touring to the healthcare facility who may otherwise be unable to afford treatment.

Amy’s House is named after Amy Henderson Firth. Amy was a speech therapist who served young children with autism in Temple, Belton, and Killeen.

In 2012, Amy unexpectedly passed away from a brain hemorrhage. But her legacy didn’t quit there. Amy was an organ donor. By earning that preference, she was ready to help conserve the lives of 70 other folks.

“Amy was a incredibly loving and incredibly empathetic person,” stated her father, John Henderson. “I think it is her spirit that inspires us.”

Amy’s mother and father, Margaret and John Henderson preferred to do one thing that reflected the variety of man or woman Amy was. They joined the Transplant Recipients International Organization (TRIO) Central Texas Chapter, and which is when they read of a huge want. Individuals at Baylor Scott & White-Temple come from an common of 50 miles away, but many clients battle to afford to pay for the journey expenditures.

“Many of the persons who continue to be with us are economically struggling,” stated Director and Chaplain of Amy’s Residence, Jim Fly. “They have the dollars to cover the processes medically, but their further expenses are challenging to deal with these kinds of as lodging and transportation.”

The medical center suggests their shorter wait situations support entice patients past Central Texas. According to Baylor Scott & White-Temple, their ordinary wait around time for a pancreas or kidney is eleven months, when the median hold out time for transplant centers in Texas and Oklahoma is a few and a 50 percent yrs.

“By the time you get to the position wherever you have a transplant have to have arrive up in the family members, you have likely previously expended fairly a bit of your readily available money on professional medical treatment. So, it’s one particular of the massive wants,” said Fly.

Lodge rooms and restaurants also provide up a different challenge: sanitation.

“The patients on their own are generally provided prescription drugs that will suppress their immune units, so they really don’t reject the new organ. The moment that occurs you have to be pretty watchful with what the client is exposed to.”

The Hendersons resolved they required to assistance. For 4 years they presented a trailer for individuals who traveled from out of city. Then they dreamed even larger. They helped elevate the resources, and the City of Temple donated the land to develop Amy’s House.

Now Amy’s House can home up to eight families at a time. There is a frequent place to loosen up, a kitchen to cook their individual food, and higher sanitation expectations.

“It seems to give a sense of convenience,” explained Fly.

Considerably less than two several years soon after its opening, Baylor Scott & White – Temple claims Amy’s Household is already earning a distinction. Previous calendar year the medical center carried out a report amount of transplants — pretty much 200. This is 25 p.c more than their previous file established in 2017.

Transplant Director Dr. Tun Jie, outlined Amy’s Residence as a single of the out-of-the-box initiatives that helped the hospital provide much more people.

“Temple is in the outskirts of Austin, so for specified patients, it’s tricky to access our medical heart,” said Dr. Jie. “Generally, when they’re transplanted listed here, the individuals and the family have to adhere all around for a few of months. When they get far better, they can go house. So, Amy’s Residence provides sensible housing for the transplant inhabitants. So which is a thing that is ground breaking.”

For the Hendersons, the mission of Amy’s Household demonstrates their daughter’s generosity. With each act of support, they have on the legacy of who Amy was.

“She’d be pretty happy of her mom and dad,” reported John Henderson.

At Amy’s Home family members only pay back what they can pay for. The Hendersons say their donations only protect about a tenth of the expenses. To continue procedure, the property depends on donations from the group.

You can find out additional about Amy’s Home on their web page.