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More than 100,000 people are on the wait list for a life-saving transplant—and more than 85% of those can be helped by a living donor.

An elementary school music teacher and jazz musician, 54-year-old Lisa was initially diagnosed with high blood pressure—the number one killer of women—in her early 30s. It is often called “the silent killer” because most who have it don’t experience any symptoms. Lisa was on blood pressure medication but had stopped taking it because she experienced side effects. She put off seeing her doctor about it for several months.

When Shannon Clarke, a 48-year-old, retired police officer, received a heart from Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute, he had no idea just how transformational it would be. 

Andrew Widman was merely hours old when doctors discovered he had a rare heart defect called transposition of the great arteries.

When Henry Myers needed a heart transplant, he trusted the team at Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute. While waiting for a new heart, one goal, in particular, made him persevere.

On the day after Andrew Widman returned home from Saint Luke’s Hospital of Kansas City with his new heart, his wife, Vicki, drove him to the DMV. There he ordered a personalized license plate that read simply “745.” It’s a number that’s particularly close to his heart.

Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute has successfully completed 800 heart transplants. This is our journey.

When she needed a heart transplant, she choose Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute. A year later, Jenna’s feeling healthy and strong and advocating for improvements to medical devices for women.

One in three women will die from heart disease. Jenna fought to live.

Ramon Grado doesn’t remember driving home and then sprawling on the living room floor on Jan. 13, 2013. Patty, his wife of 33 years, found him there an hour later, awake and complaining about his headache.