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In This Issue:
The story is a heartwarming one – literally.
When Kristine Cummings, 32, was younger, she was diagnosed and survived Hodgkin’s lymphoma, an aggressive cancer. The treatment severely damaged her heart, and she had been on the waiting list for a transplant since December 2008. Last fall her condition deteriorated to the point where she was admitted to Brigham and Women’s as an inpatient to be monitored and cared for until a heart became available.
Cummings, who is a registered nurse and a huge Red Sox fan, lived on Shapiro 7 from the middle of September until just a few weeks ago, and her entire room was decorated with all things Red Sox. It was her love of the local team that prompted Michael Givertz, MD, medical director of the Heart Transplant and Circulatory Assist Program, to arrange a visit from Red Sox announcer Jerry Remy and Wally the Green Monster, the team’s mascot.
While the visit was certainly a highlight, one recent event is very special. It was here at BWH in December, when her boyfriend and high school sweetheart, Shawn Everly, popped the question. Cummings said yes, and she began planning her wedding while still waiting for a heart. Then, a few weeks ago, Cummings got the call she had been waiting for. A heart was available. She underwent a successful heart transplant and has recently returned home to recover and continue the wedding planning.
“Kristine is an amazing young woman. She is a cancer survivor and now a recipient of a heart transplant. Her long wait in the hospital was not easy, but she was a very patient patient,” said Givertz. “Her ‘team’ of family, friends, doctors, nurses and other staff helped make the time pass, and provided her with needed support. A surprise visit from Jerry Remy and Wally the Green Monster didn’t hurt either.”
“To have the opportunity that a lot of people take for granted, to plan a wedding, to plan a vacation or a honeymoon—I won’t take any of those things for granted, because it has been a struggle,” Cummings says. “I’m learning to think positive again.”