We are incredibly grateful for the Lindsay Foundation’s generous donation to Auckland City Hospital’s Cardiovascular team – the only team in NZ to perform heart and lung transplants.
When 17-year-old Taylor collapsed at his Hamilton home in May 2023, life as he knew it changed overnight
Just weeks earlier, Taylor had been finishing school and working part-time. Suddenly, he was too sick to eat or move. His mum, Michelle, found him lying on the bathroom floor, unaware they were about to embark on the fight of their lives.
Taylor needed a new heart. He was flown into the care of Auckland City Hospital’s Cardiovascular team – the only team in New Zealand to perform heart and lung transplants. After many months in intensive care, Taylor’s time was running out. His only hope lay in an extraordinary piece of technology: the HOPE Box.
The HOPE Box is a world-first innovation that keeps donor hearts viable for longer, allowing them to travel to Auckland from anywhere in New Zealandand even from Australia, which is unthinkable with traditional transport methods. It means people like Taylor, whose donor heart was flown across the Tasman, can receive the most precious gift of life.
This game-changing technology is currently only possible thanks to community generosity, and we extend heartfelt thanks to the Lindsay Foundation for their generous gift to fund a HOPE Box, offering someone like Taylor the chance to survive and thrive with a heart transplant. Taylor was back at home just weeks after his transplant, and he is now working, travelling and feeling “10 out of 10”.
This is the Lindsay Foundation’s third major gift to support adult patients at Auckland City Hospital, continuing a legacy of impact that is changing – and saving – lives.
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you.
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Your support will help Auckland City Hospital’s teams do even more for patients and whānau in their care, beyond what government funding can provide.
