Denise Redeker holds a quilt handmade by her family and friends.
COURTESY OF heartfelt help foundation
An open heart
After giving birth to her son, in 1992, Denise Redeker discovered she had a rare case of heart failure known as postpartum cardiomyopathy.
She managed her worsening condition for the next two decades, until she received a lifesaving heart transplant in 2018.
“When I went back for [a] checkup, I overheard [that] a gentleman’s transplant was going to be delayed because he didn’t have money to pay for post-transplant housing,” she explains, which is often necessary for patients who don’t live near their transplant center, where many post-surgery appointments are required.
Redeker sprang into action: “Money shouldn’t stop a transplant, and [so] I said, ‘I’m going to go do something about it.’ ”
Redeker’s nonprofit, Heartfelt Help Foundation (heartfelthelpfoundation.com), works with heart transplant recipients in Northern California to assist them in finding clean and safe housing post-surgery.
“The foundation has most recently helped a 6-month-old recipient,” she says. “Knowing [its] impact on families like theirs makes all the difference.”—Katie Coleman
Register as a donor
“My hope for people who read this is [for them] to realize that heart failure, heart disease and transplant looks like them … [and] that people who aren’t registered to be an organ donor, [will] register,” Denise Redeker says. “So many people wouldn’t be here without somebody saying yes at their worst possible moment to let a part of their loved one live on. It is one of the best things that people can do.”—KC
