“Everyone Here Is a Warrior,”
Says Mom of Heart Recipient
Philadelphia, PA – Gift of Life Howie’s House is celebrating 13 years of welcoming and caring for organ transplant patients and their families, which includes providing $14 million in subsidized care thanks to the generous support of our community.
The House serves as a safe, comfortable “home away from home” for those who travel to Philadelphia for life-saving transplant-related care, including pre- and post-transplant appointments, transplantation, and transplant-related hospitalizations.
The birthday of the House coincides with National Healthcare Hospitality Week (July 15-19), honoring the special places that provide essential resources and a supportive environment to families when life takes an unexpected turn.
The House:
- Will mark cumulative milestones this year of 100,000 nights of lodging and 400,000 meals provided for guests.
- Is the first healthcare hospitality house in the U.S. founded by an organ procurement organization for transplant patients and their families.
- Made history as the first transplant hospitality house in the nation to serve multiple organ transplant centers.
- Is committed to affordability, maintaining a $40 nightly room fee although actual costs exceed $200 a night. No eligible family has ever been turned away for inability to pay.
“Everyone Here Is a Warrior”
This spring, House guest Rogina found support from both the caring staff and fellow transplant families as she endured the stressful wait for her daughter, Kemiyah, 16, to receive a life-saving heart transplant. Kemiyah received her second chance at life thanks to an organ donor hero and is doing well.
“We have met so many other families in similar situations and heard so many stories. Everyone here is a warrior. I don’t know what we would do if we didn’t have a place like this,” said Rogina, who traveled more than 100 miles from Camp Hill, Pa. so her daughter could receive care at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
Originally known as Gift of Life Family House, the House was renamed in honor of its visionary founder, Howard M. Nathan, in 2022. Mr. Nathan, executive director of Gift of Life Transplant Foundation and former president and CEO of Gift of Life Donor Program, conceived his idea for the House when he experienced the challenges of his sister Martha’s need for a liver transplant. He gained a deeper understanding of the obstacles faced by transplant families when traveling to an unfamiliar city, often without any caregiver support. He learned that some families were sleeping in hospital lounges or in their cars because a hotel stay was too expensive.
Supporting Thousands of Caregivers
Beyond providing lodging, meals and free shuttle transportation to Philadelphia transplant hospitals, the House’s Caregiver Lifeline Program, provides free transplant education and support. Through the program, a professionally licensed social work team provides individual counseling, therapeutic and educational support groups (both in-person and online), and education for transplant caregivers, families, and professionals. The program’s webinars and virtual support groups expanded its reach last year. Nearly 3,000 participants attended these programs from most U.S. states and multiple countries.
The licensed social workers from the House developed two new, comprehensive resources available online at no cost:
- “Preparing for Transplant: A Guidebook for Transplant Patients and Families”
- “Returning Home After Transplant: A Guidebook for Transplant Patients and Families”
Building the House is one of the proudest achievements in Gift of Life Donor Program’s 50 years of service as the region’s organ procurement organization (OPO). Gift of Life is committed to providing a comprehensive circle of care for patients before, during and after transplant.
The need for life-saving organs continues to far exceed the number available. Each day, seventeen people die waiting for a transplant and, every ten minutes, another child or adult is added to the national waitlist. To honor its 50th anniversary, Gift of Life is rallying the community to help sign up 50,000 more organ donors and bring hope to the thousands of children and adults – including guests of the House – on the transplant waitlist. It is easy, private and takes less than one minute to sign up online as a donor hero at donors1.org/register.
Gift of Life Howie’s House is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit charitable organization. To learn more, visit giftoflifehowieshouse.org.
About Gift of Life Howie’s House
Gift of Life Howie’s House (formerly Gift of Life Family House) serves as a “home away from home” for organ transplant patients and their families by providing affordable lodging, meals, and supportive services to those who travel to Philadelphia for transplant-related care.
Opened in 2011, the House is a 32-room facility offering organ transplant candidates, recipients, living donors, and their families temporary lodging and supportive services. Families are asked to pay just $40 a night and receive a safe place to rest, a warm meal each evening prepared by volunteers, and transportation to and from transplant centers. They also have access to a social work team and a supportive community of other families on the transplant journey to support them during what can be one of the most difficult times in their lives. No eligible family is ever turned away from the House due to an inability to pay its nightly fee.
Since its opening in July 2011, the House has:
- Served more than 400,000 meals.
- Provided more than 100,000 lodging nights of care.
- Provided more than 13,500 trips to and from the hospital.
- Provided more than $14 million in subsidized care to its guests.
Gift of Life Howie’s House is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit charitable organization. For more information about supporting the House, visit GiftofLifeHowiesHouse.org.
About Gift of Life Donor Program
Gift of Life Donor Program, founded in 1974 and headquartered in Philadelphia, is the federally designated organ procurement organization (OPO) for the eastern half of Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey, and Delaware. It works with 126 acute care hospitals and 12 transplant centers in its region, as well as hundreds of transplant centers throughout the country, to provide the most comprehensive array of services available in the U.S. to the donation and transplantation community. Thanks to the generosity of its community, Gift of Life has coordinated 14,196 donors and 39,469 organs for transplant, the most of any OPO in the country since the inception of our national donation system in 1988. Overall, Gift of Life has coordinated more than 59,000 organs and more than two million tissue transplants since its founding. One organ donor can save the lives of up to eight people, and a tissue donor can improve the lives of 100 others. In honor of its 50 years of service, Gift of Life is rallying the community to sign up 50,000 more organ donors and provide hope to the thousands waiting for a transplant. Learn more and sign up at donors1.org.