Organ Transplants

Heart transplant recipient and advocate, Ava Kaufman joins eHealth Radio and the Heart Health & Health News Channels. Ava's non-profit Ava’s Heart has quickly become the primary organization in the U.S. for transplant patients and their families, providing pre-transplant and post-transplant patients with a wide variety of basic essentials not covered by insurance. Ava’s Heart is hosting Ava’s Heart Heroes Ball on September 17th at the Avalon Theater in Los Angeles to honor outstanding contributions made within the organ transplant community. Listen to interview with host Eric Michaels and guest Ava Kaufman discuss the following: You went from living a healthy lifestyle to one day finding yourself in total Cardiomyopathy and in the hospital with the only chance of living being a heart transplant. Can you tell our listeners about your experience?After your long recovery, what inspired you to want to give back to others on the same journey as you?You founded a non-profit, Ava’s Heart. Can you tell our listeners about this amazing foundation? Ava’s Heart is hosting Ava’s Heart Heroes Ball on September 17th in Los Angeles at the Avalon Theater to honor doctors and executives, who have made an outstanding impact in the organ transplant community. Can you tell our listeners about this fantastic event? Where can our listeners find out more about Ava’s Heart and how to purchase tickets for Ava’s Heart Heroes Ball? Duration: 30:24 Ava was a professional dancer for Gloria Gaynor and Donna Summer and then a successful businesswoman, who took a small moving company and turned it into a major delivery and installation firm. In 2010, Ava was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease called Dermatomyositis, which attacked her muscles and her heart. Her only chance of living was a heart transplant, which she received on her Birthday. After a long recovery, Ava devoted her life to giving back to others on the same journey as her. Having observed firsthand the service gaps in available post-transplant service, Ava founded her own non-profit, Ava’s Heart, which helps transplant patients and their families deal with non-insurance related aspects, such as housing, food, gas cards, baby strollers, car seats, and other resources and refuge. To date, Ava’s Heart has helped hundreds of people of all ages on their transplant journey. For more information about Ava’s Heart and how to purchase tickets for Ava’s Heart Heroes Ball, please visit www.avasheart.org or call 310.779.6616. Website: www.avasheart.org Social Media Links: Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Avas-Heart Twitter: @avasheart