Ava's Heart

DONATIONS ARE TAX DEDUCTIBLE!

Hi there, thank you so much for checking out my page! My name is Justin Wang and I'm a heart transplant recipient. I received my heart transplant at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford on April 27, 2018, when I was 15 years old. Today, I am living life doing things I never thought possible! 5 years ago I couldn't even walk a block and my doctors pulled me out of PE. Today, I am running miles on top of miles, all thanks to my donor!

A picture of me on April 29, 2018, 2 days post-transplant

I am training and planning to run a half marathon, 13.1 miles, at the Columbia Gorge Half Marathon in Hood River, Oregon, on October 20, 2024. I picked that half marathon because I heard it's gorgeous and walker friendly! Also, that day will be my 22nd birthday! I am asking for your generous donation to support the Heartfelt Help Foundation, a 501c3 charity that provides post-transplant housing to heart transplant recipients in Northern California.

After my transplant, my doctors wanted me to stay near the hospital in case of emergency. Although I only lived an hour away, they wanted me within 15 minutes of the hospital in case something happened. I was lucky to be eligible to stay at the Ronald McDonald House, a nonprofit hospitality house on Stanford's campus, but many transplant recipients are not Ronald McDonald eligible. The Ronald McDonald House only serves patients 21 and under and 96% of transplant are adults. This means that if you don't have the funds for housing, you're essentially out of options. I stayed at the Ronald McDonald House for 3 months, so imagine if my family had to rent an apartment for 3 months in Palo Alto. The average rent in Palo Alto is $3,000, so that would've been $9,000 out-of-pocket for housing not covered by insurance, on top of the medical bills, prescription costs, and transportation expenses.

I met Ava Kaufman, the CEO/founder of Ava's Heart, when I was starting my senior thesis during my final semester at NYU. I've been extremely blessed by her outpouring of support from the first time we talked. She has so much love for her guests and if truly making a difference in patient lives. People come from all over the world to get care in Los Angeles, but housing is extremely expensive there. Not even thinking about transplant, but living in LA, the only way to survive, especially if you don't have income coming in because you're sick, is to live in your car. And who wants to live in your care after such an unbearably arduous procedure?

Running is a way for me to celebrate my donor. When I run, I think about my donor. Even though I don't know my donor (I've reached out to my donor family, but it's their decision to respond), I know that a piece of their livelihood lives on within me. Running has become such a full circle moment for me, in which life has given me a means to do what I thought was previously impossible. I am so grateful for everything I'm given, the life I'm able to live, and the miles I'm able to run.

Thank you for your support; I appreciate anything you can give. I am extremely grateful for all of your help and I don't take these gifts lightly. Thank you for your gift and thank you for supporting housing this patients!

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While you're here, please considering also checking out the GoFundMe page of another non-profit I'm also running the Half Marathon to raise funds for. I am running the Columbia Gorge Half Marathon not only for Ava's Heart, but also for the Heartfelt Help Foundation, which provides post-transplant housing for patients in Northern California. I wanted to create just one GoFundMe page, but GoFundMe wouldn't allow me to fundraise for two non-profits. Here is the link to the other non-profit: link. Please check it out; I'm appreciative of your support!

More information about Ava's Heart: Ava's Heart's mission is to provide support for transplant recipients and candidates, ensuring they receive medication, housing, financial aid, and that which is not covered by insurance during their transplant journey. Our mission is to help those that have been given the gift of life have a better quality of life. Integral to our mission is to bring awareness and to educate the general public and the government to the challenges transplant patients face both pre and post transplant, and how transplant not only affects the recipient, but the entire family, and to become a registered donor.