Members of a heart transplant support group met for a special Valentine's Day celebration at UK hospital Tuesday. "Organ donation saves lives," Dr. Charles Shelton, a recovering heart transplant patient at UK, ended his speech at the Valentine's Day get-together of the Heart to Heart support group. They meet to share stories, update each other, and become part of a community. Peter Forman has undergone multiple heart procedures at UK and says there's no substitute for one-on-one conversation with people who have first-hand experience.
"The doctor can't tell you what you're going to go through. Scientifically, they can, but hearing it from a person who's gone through it physically and emotionally really does help out," he says.
UK HealthCare performed 12 heart transplants, along with 22 VAD or Ventricular Assist Devices, in 2011